


Summer of the Occult

by Broken_Synchronicity



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AND UNDYNE WITH HER HAIR DOWN, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Frisk Uses Sign Language, Gen, Gender neutral pronouns all around, Genderless Frisk, Ghosts, MY SALT LEVELS, Mute Frisk, No Smut, OCs for days son, Other, Paranormal, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route - "I want to stay with you.", Psychic Abilities, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has a big family, Sans that is not how you greet the humans this is serious, WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS SANSGORE FRIENSHIP, and they all have psychic abilities, and they run an Inn, it's far less bad than reality, look at that exposition, more tags as they become relevant, reader can see dead people, sans has nightmares, softer? Kinder?, the world is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-08-08 15:16:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7762810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Synchronicity/pseuds/Broken_Synchronicity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You lived in the village at the base of Mt. Ebbot, helping run your family's Inn.</p><p>Then suddenly the barrier that had been only told in local myth broke thanks to a kid from the orphanage you kinda knew.</p><p>Well, you weren't too surprised. After all...</p><p> </p><p>  <i>"Who's your friend with the red eyes, bucko?"</i></p><p> </p><p>When you can already see things others can't, why dismiss myth and legend as well?</p><p>This looks like it's going to be one <i>hell</i> of a summer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The World to You, The World to Me

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. Here we go. This little diddly has been stewing in my head for a long time. It was sort of inspired by A House or a Home by cicir? Kinda. More like, I wanted a story that had the monsters reacting to paranormal things and what psychic abilities were in comparison to magic.
> 
> So, here. Hope you guys like this.

"Hey, ____, what do you think the world looks like through a ghosts' eyes?"

It wasn't the first time your cousin had asked a question of this nature. 

About ghosts. About spirits.

"Even if I wanted to ask, I don't know if I'd get the answer you want, Dam."

About the things you could see that others couldn't.

The whole "I see dead people" shtick wasn't all it's cracked up to be. You didn't know if you were born with it, maybe you were, because even your oldest memories held vague images of translucent people who could walk through physical objects. You didn't call it a gift, but you weren't pessimistic enough to call it a curse. It was just... an ability. A thing you could do. Seeing and hearing the dead. "Afterlife Communication," you called it, you're mum had more specific terms for it, but you didn't care enough to remember right now.

Ah, right. You were at least lucky to have parents that didn't think you were a raving schizophrenic when they accidentally found out what you could do. After all, it sort of was their fault to begin with. Or just kinda sorta _your entire extended family._

Yeah. Your entire family had psychic abilities of some kind.

"You're probably right. You think Great Aunt Lori asked once? I mean, there are plenty around town to ask, right? Hell, there are plenty right here at the Inn! She's had to have asked one of them at some point!" Damion exclaimed. You just sighed at his normal dramatic self.

"Dam, are we going to the farmers market today, or next century? You know how Aunty Nina gets when she can't make the guests food at the proper time."

"I'm coming, I'm coming! You got the list, right?"

"Like anyone lets you keep track of anything alone anymore."

"Ok, now that was just mean! I'm not that bad!"

"You lost the guest book, five guest's coats, your shoe, and _a flag pole,_ in an _hour."_

"..... That was a really bad day ok? And we found everything just fine after."

"Except your shoe."

"I still don't know where it could have gone! It just vanished!"

Your conversation continued in this sort of manner, hopping from one topic to another. Your (mostly) immediate family ran the local Inn here in Little Ebbot Village, the exceedingly old 'village' sitting a little ways from the base of Mt. Ebbot. It wasn't very big, a population of a little over 600 made it easy for everyone to know everyone. Most all the buildings were anywhere from some decades to a good century or so old, the newest structures being the tourist center, some of the park buildings, and the paved roads. Honestly though? Everything was damn well taken care of. Yeah, the buildings needed renovating every so often, but most everything still kept the old styles the buildings were build in. They just got upgraded as the times changed.

The Farmer's market was near the center of town, and the late morning shoppers bustled about. At least, the few you could see.

"It's... less busy than normal." You furrowed your brow in confusion. Usually there were a lot more people buying stuff to make their lunch. "Is there something going on today that I don't know about?" Your cousin hummed, fiddling with a bracelet of his.

"Wait, wasn't there a thing over at town hall today over the vote thing on what to do with the um... Monster thing?"

Oh. Ooooh, right, that thing.

It had been very early autumn when the barrier that used to be only legend around Mt. Ebbot broke. It was kind of a huge deal. The old fairytale about monsters under the mountain being freaking true? A whole war actually happened? _How did no one know this?!_

Well, you see dead people, so monsters can exist too right? Oh, and the Inn was actually hosting the big government hotshots they sent to negotiate with the monsters. Oh boy, the closest you'd ever gotten to seeing any actual government official before this was the Mayor, but everyone knew Old Man Ackerman, so he didn't really count. The seriousness was so very uncomfortable, you avoided them like the plague if you could.

Around mid-winter the government officials had proposed an idea to the town; have the citizens vote what to do with their new monsters neighbors. A few ideas were proposed and muddled over, a ballot was made, and a vote was cast. You had placed your own vote when you could.

Now, spring was ending soon, and the final vote had been counted. The town's decision had been made.

But, even if you wanted to go see what had been voted on, you still had a job to do.

"Dam, why don't you go see what they decided on, while I get everything for Aunty Nina?" 

"You sure you can carry everything?"

"I'll manage, you know I always do."

"Right, I'll come tell you the news when it's over."

Damion bolted towards Town Hall as you continued through the market. You trudged steadily on, chatting a bit with the shopkeepers as you collected the items from your list. You smiled lightly, it was lovely out, and it seemed everyone you talked to was having a good day as well. You felt contentment settle in your heart, and a spring in your step bounced you along.

"Ok, got that, got that, got those..." You glanced over the list, checking once more to make sure you have everything. It hadn't taken you long to get everything. With so many people over at Town Hall, it was easy for you to flit from one stall to the next. "Alright, time to head back."

You checked your watch. From where you are, it would take about 15 minutes to walk back to the inn, but Aunty Nina wouldn't get angry without her ingredients for another half hour. You secure your hold on the bags of food and start an easy pace, allowing your mind to wander.

You wondered about the monsters briefly. Your town was full of kind, open people. Mostly, at least. Even such a peaceful and happy place has a few bad eggs, but no one really let that bother them. You hoped the vote went in favor of the monsters, you really wanted to meet them. You couldn't help your bit of excitement.

"My, my. Your head is up in those clouds pretty far. I've been here for the last few minutes and you haven't taken a notice of me."

You prided yourself in that you didn't jump at the sudden voice next to you.

"Good morning, Ms. Turner." You replied quietly.

"And a fine morning it is!" You smiled at the translucent lady. Miss Georgia Turner was the ghost of a mid-19th century woman, decked out in a dark green, old style dress, with dark hair in a bun and bright green eyes. She was a rather chipper spirit, as she told you she was in life, and a bit of a gossip. She 'haunted' the farmers market, where she had been mugged and murdered, so she often popped up when you went grocery shopping. She probably could pass on if she wanted, but she lingered because _'Have you seen how much the world has changed in the last 160 something years!? Why would I miss that!?'_

It was easier to chat with her than some other spirits, Georgia happily bouncing from one topic to another without your input. You didn't have to keep your voice quiet and lips as still as you can. You didn't really want to look like you were talking to thin air, even with how accepting everyone in town was. No one in town knew your family were a bunch of psychics and mediums. You were just one of the oldest, biggest, quirkiest families in Little Ebbot.

The walk back breezed by with Georgia chatting your ear off.

Now, the Old Ebbot Inn&Suite was, like with many of the old families, something your family had founded way back when the town was in its infancy, going back a couple hundred years at least. It had a rustic appearance, like most all of the town, wooden and well cared for. It was the tallest building in town, being four stories high and quite large. It stood closer to the park pathways that headed towards the base of Mt. Ebbot, with only a couple of buildings after it between the Inn and the forest proper.

For you, it was home.

(Though 'home' was technically the cabin next door.)

You said goodbye to Georgia and stepped into the lobby. You nodded and smiled at your Mom sitting behind the front desk, writing in something. Probably doing paperwork. This wasn't unusual, it only just meant your Dad was out, since one of them usually did paperwork while the other watched the lobby, unless both were out.

"Dad off somewhere?"

"Went with the officials to discuss something. Didn't tell us what, but we're pretty sure it has to do with the voting results today."

"Wait, they actually _wanted_ to talk to one of us?" You raised an eyebrow. The officials were pretty hush-hush about their conferences with the monsters. Not that you or anyone tried to find out. You may have been curious, but you knew whatever decision would come to light eventually.

"Like I said, sweetie, they didn't say anything, just asked one of us to go with them to talk about something important." She shruged. Your face pinched in confusion, but you shruged as well. Oh well, time to put the groceries away, your arms were starting to ache.

"Aunty, I'm back!" You called, heading to the kitchen behind the guest dining room.

"Welcome back, dear." Your aunt turned to you while stirring a pot of some sort of soup. Your Aunt Nina was the oldest of of your aunts and uncles, dark auburn hair peppered with grey, but was spry and her sky colored eyes sparkled with life.

"Now, where did my little _Dam_ -dreamer go? He was supposed to be with you, wasn't he?" You snorted at the punny nickname. Your aunt was a jokester if you ever knew one.

"The results of the vote over what to do with the monsters is today. I told Dam to go see the results while I shopped." You heaved the bags of food onto the long counter and began sorting and storing them.

"Ah, I see." She chuckled. "Probably the better idea. 'Specially since them government snobs hauled your Pa off somewhere."

"Aunty! You could cause a scandal with such words!" You mock gasped. The two of you laughed, as long as none of the officials were there, you all made fun of them every chance you got. Well, only the ones who deserved it. Entitled assholes.

You passed the time chatting and helping your Aunt with cooking and taking food out to the buffet. She had turned on the small radio sitting on a window sill above the sinks at one point, letting it be a pleasant background noise.

You had just finished putting out a platter of sandwiches when Damion burst through the front doors. Everyone startled and came out to see the commotion.

"GUYS HOLY _FUCK!!!_ "

"DAMION!!! LANGUAGE!!" 

"SORRY!" Your cousin sheepishly apologized before shaking out of it. "No time for that! Guys, the vote! It was in favor!"

"Of the monsters?" Your mom asked, smile beginning to spread across her lips.

"Yeah!" Damion cheered, then withdrew. "Ok kinda. So, here's what's gonna happen." Damion plopped himself into one of the lobby's couches and began to explain.

"So, since no one is still sure how to handle monsters, the vote went to having a small group of monsters stay here for a time so both sides can get used to each other."

"Ok, that sounds... kinda fair. It would maximize damage control should something happen, and it would get us used to the fact that they exist, while they catch up on things they've missed since they got trapped down there." You reasoned.

"Was my husband there?" Your mom spoke up. Glancing back at her, you saw that she was looking at her cell.

"Oh. Oh my god. That's the best part." Damion looked like his face was going to split in half with how much he was smiling.

"We're going to host the monsters." Both Damion and you mom said. Your aunt let out a whoop.

You grinned. Well, this was going to be interesting.


	2. You are Determined, Have Faith in Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 6000+ words of exposition. Nice.

The excitement buzzed in the entire Inn now that you learned that the monsters would be staying here. Damion looked ready to vibrate straight out of the atmosphere, you wondered if you would end up needing a rope to tie him to the ground.

"What are you lot sitting around for?" Your mom finally said while holding her phone up to her ear. Calling your dad probably. "Go check the suites! Those government bimbos are probably gonna be clearing out of here in the next few days. And if I can guess one thing about these monsters, they are probably gonna have at least a few if not all of them be a bit larger than us tiny humans."

You and Damion bolted up the stairs, heading for the top floor, where the largest suits were. You had memorized by now which ones were the officials' rooms, and the security guards they brought had come to know you guys enough that they let you do your job without breathing down your necks. You'd given them special keycards that unlocked any of the doors in the Inn. Everyone who actively worked in the Inn had a "Skeleton Keycard" to unlock any of the doors for cleaning and emergencies, so it was no problem to make temporary ones for the bodyguards. Obviously it wouldn't work if the doors had been locked with their secondary lock, but that was beside the point.

"What do you think they're like? The monsters?" Damion puffed, panting slightly from the hustle up four flights. "The big guys have seen them, right?"

"Well, mom did think they would be bigger than a human. At the very least a few will have to be. But, considering what Mythology is like in that respect? I'm trying to prepare for anything." You replied in a huff. "I don't know if that will still be confidential info or not, but we can try asking." Damion nooded.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Though, hopefully there won't be anything too terrifying looking, especially since they're calling for peace. I mean, it was Frisk who apparently broke this barrier thing. Frisk. Julia's best friend, tiny little babbu, purest of cinnamon rolls." You laughed airily. Julia was Damion's little sister, your little cousin, and still in school at the moment. She was a big hearted girl and a bit rash sometimes, but she was kind. That was were Frisk came in.

Frisk. That kid. You had never met a bigger sweetheart who wasn't family. They were a bit timid in certain regards, as Frisk was a hodgepodge of things that were different from most kids. An orphan, being mute, and not really clinging to either gender, they were a lot of things little kids didn't understand, and kids could be unnecessarily cruel. But, Frisk was a steadfast child, and funnily a bit of a flirt, and determined to get their happy ending, bullies be damned. It put some of the other kids off, but not your Jules.

The two had met at the age of 7, Frisk a tiny thing for their age, silent and a bit hesitant, dark, fluffly bob, dark eyes and naturally tanned skin, and Julia, loud and joyous and wanting to know everyone, bright orangy braids, pale skin dotted with freckles, and pale blue eyes. Opposites if you had ever seen any. The two were placed next to eachother in class, for what reason no one really knew. Maybe it was Julia's open heart and willingness to accept all of Frisk, maybe it was Frisk's own willingness to try, and determination to stay. Whatever it was, the two hit it off pretty well. They told eachother everything, but Julia noticed that Frisk were quick to hide the notes and writings. Frisk feared certain secrets being exposed by accident.

Julia was a smart girl, and when she realized that Frisk could use sign language to communicate, instead of the dry erase board or pad of paper they always had on them, Julia immediately went to the school's library and checked out every book she was allowed that pertained to sign language. She wanted to to be able to make it easier for Frisk to communicate with her, without wasting paper or having to quickly scribble out or erase their writing.

It was that act that sealed their friendship. Frisk teaching Julia sign, and in turn Julia being Frisk's confident. The two became inseparable, which resulted in many, many sleepovers at the house, seeing as there was little impeding Frisk from staying for several days. A simple word to the Orphanage Matron, a pack of clothes and toiletries, and suddenly everyone in your family needed to learn sign language. Julia's orders.

Not like anyone protested. Frisk was too dear of a child to say no to, and it was a pretty useful skill for if there was a tourist with such a need.

Fast forward 3 or so years. The two are still inseparable, and your family has all but formally adopted Frisk. They've been able to extend their duo to a small, tight knit group, and are all well liked by most all of their peers.

Then Frisk suddenly goes missing.

Julia had to be pulled out of school for a day, she's so distraught. The other children are likewise fearful for their friend's safety. The Orphanage flipped itself on its head trying to find Frisk. The police are called and a report is made. Not even hours after they find Frisk missing do a group of boys from Frisk and Julia's class come forward and confess.

They had dared Frisk to go up Mt. Ebbot, alone.

They hadn't thought Frisk would do it, or just go a little ways into the park, they didn't think Frisk would go without telling anyone! By the end of their confessions, the three boys were sobbing messes, remorseful, and now with a very hard learned lesson. Search parties were organized, the cops, your family, the orphanage workers, the elementary school faculty, nearly eveyone in town wanted to volunteer to find Frisk. You'd think with how many people were searching, _something_ would have been found.

But, there was _nothing_.

You searched for _days_. Over god knows how many acres of forest. No footprints, not a scrap of clothing, nor a hair to be found. Frisk had seemed to literally _vanish_. No one knew where to look or what could have happened. The cops had to call off the search, there were no leads and they couldn't keep doing this forever. Julia had to be physically restrained from going into the forest by herself to go look for Frisk. She didn't talk to anyone after that, listlessly living without her best friend by her side. A few more days pass, you and some other adults had taken up walking through the forest paths at least once a day since the search had been called off.

Then, quietly, Julia asked you if you'd seen Frisk in the forest.

A lump formed in your throat. You shook your head.

"Then, they're alive, right? They... T-They gotta be, right?" Julia deduced tearfully, "If you c-can't... s-s-see them, then F-Frisk is alive.... r-right...?"

You bit the inside of your cheek. For all you knew, Frisk could be dead and their soul passed on before you could find them. You made no motion to answer Julia, instead you held her to you, trying to comfort your beloved baby cousin.

You wouldn't lie to her. Julia didn't deserve to have that hope crushed, and Frisk would have scolded you for giving up on them. You had to believe with everything you had that Frisk would come back, safe and sound. _You had to_.

You hold Julia tighter as she wailed into your shoulder, mouth kept firmly shut.

A little over a month passes since Frisk is lost to Mt. Ebbot.

One day, you see... _something_. Colors floating off in the distance, where the cliffs of the mountain are. You weren't sure what they were, nor did you even know if they were even real. The barrier breaks not long after, just as the sun began to set. Everyone clambers about in shock as they try to figure out what happened. Authorities head out, return, and word is spread.

Monsters, from under the mountain, and Frisk is with them.

Julia needed to be restrained from rushing up there, again.

You all calm her down, citing that if Frisk is up there, they'll come down when everything is said and done with the... Monsters...

Well, you can't say you ever saw this coming, but hey, at least those conspiracy theorists raving about such things as lizardmen and mole people underground were kinda right, right? They're probably pretty happy.

You mentioning this thought to the bodyguards and your cousin. Damion is on the floor from laughter in seconds.

\------

"You are very excited, my child."

Frisk bounced on the balls of their feet, smile wide across their face.

' _You're going to meet everyone in town soon!_ ' They signed. ' _I can't wait for you to meet my human friends!_ ' Toreil smiled softly, pushing down the bubble of apprehension building in her. It had been a long process for Frisk, Asgore, and herself to properly discuss how to introduce the monsters to society with as little outfall as possible. But, somehow, things have turned out better than they had hoped.

"Aw, I don't count as a friend, Frisky-bits?"

Toriel looked up at the human that had been one of the biggest boons to have arrived. His name was Becket Deedy, a 'Park Ranger'. He was apparently a person who's job is to help, educate, and protect both people and the land around Mt. Ebbot, so the government had called him in to help the human Government Officials navigate their way up the mountain and help keep them safe and keep the other guards organized. The less expected thing was that he knew Frisk.

He knew Frisk very well. They were apparently best friends with his youngest sibling. It was quite the tearful reunion. Toriel couldn't help but remember the moment...

~~~~

The local human Authority figures, 'Police' as Frisk said they were called, had said that the current Government Representatives that the human's government had decided to send were going to arrive soon. They also explained that they had brought guards for themselves and a person who was both from the village and also worked in the park around Ebbot.

"Are you nervous, my child?" Toriel asked, gently placing a paw on Frisk's shoulder. Frisk fidgeted, before making a motion of uncertainty.

"Are you wary of the Government employees?" Asgore inquired, "Or is it the person from your village that is making you apprehensive?"

Frisk's fidgeting ceased, before they slowly signed that both were nerve racking.

"And why is that, dear?" Toriel smoothed down Frisk's hair, a gesture of attempted comfort.

' _I don't wanna mess up with the Government people..._ ' They tentatively signed, ' _But you saw how the Police from Ebbot reacted to seeing me, and I only know one person who works at the park..._ '

That was true. The police had reacted with shock and disbelief. To them, Frisk had just suddenly reappeared after having vanished off the face of the earth for over a month, with several monsters who had only been myth in tow.

' _I kinda do want it to be him, but also, I'm scared that he's gonna be really mad at me for being gone._ ' Frisk worried their lower lip as they moved to fiddling with the hem of their sweater.

"If he truly is your friend, then I believe he will understand the circumstances and forgive you." Toriel reassured. Frisk seemed to relax slightly, but it was obvious they were still worried.

"hey."

The group looked up to find Sans, outwardly calm, but Frisk was all too aware of how well the older Skeleton Brother could hide his feelings. They wondered if Sans was nervous as well.

"the big shots are almost here." He stated, "you guys should uh... do what ya do to get ready for political things."

"Thank you, Sans." Asgore motioned to dismiss Sans from his duty. "I will gather the Guard. If only to be prepared for if something does go wrong."

"I will go with him. Asgore and I need to discuss a few things as well. Will you not watch over Frisk for a bit for me, Sans?" Toriel asked.

"don't worry Tori, i'll keep an eye _socket_ on the kiddo." He winks as Toriel chuckles. She thanks him and heads off after her ex-husband.

Sans then decides to take this moment to talk to Frisk as well.

"hey kid, you doing ok?" Sans asks softly. Frisk shrugs and takes hold of the older skeleton's hand. He gives their hand a gentle squeeze, running his thumb over the back of their hand comfortingly.

"you'll be alright kiddo. no _bones_ about it." He winked as Frisk giggled a little. "everyone's here for ya. besides, you're too determined to let all this go to waste. not after everything you've been through."

Frisk couldn't help the shudder running up their spine, memories of those... horrible timelines trying to force their way into their head.

~~Memories of a transparent child, not much older than themself, sobbing, apologizing, begging for everything to stop.~~

~~And a black, black shadow, giggling in child-like maliciousness.~~

They quickly banished the memories from their mind. Automatically, they moved to sign 'sorry,' but Sans halted the motion. He knelt down, still gently holding Frisk's hands, and looked directly into Frisk's eyes.

"hey, i told ya, you're not the one at fault for that. you did everything ya could, and you won out in the end." Frisk tried to pull their hands away to sign an argument, but Sans wasn't having it. "no buts. besides, i already said i forgave ya."

Frisk sniffled. They still felt like they didn't deserve Sans' forgiveness. Even so, they burried themself into the skeleton's chest when he pulled them into a hug.

"you'll be ok, kiddo."

The two hugged for a few more minutes, stopping only when Asgore and Toriel returned with Undyne, Papyrus, and some of the Guard. Frisk moved to stand between Asgore and Toriel, quickly reaching to hold their adoptive mother's paw, while Sans moved to stand by his brother with the Guard. It was time.

"Let us go and greet our guests now." Asgore announced. The group marched their way to the now exit of the Underground, and waited by the cliff side. It wasn't long before a group of people could be seen walking up the mountain side. There were at least a dozen men in some kind of armor like gear, surrounding at least half as many men in suits. Front and center though, was a man wearing a grayish uniform, a gold badge pinned to his left brest, and a flat brimmed hat with indents in the top.

The man in gray seemed relatively tall and somewhat built, smaller than most of the armored men, but no less strong in form. They could not see his face from the distance and his hat, but there seemed to be a tension different from the others of the group behind him.

The second he spotted the Monsters he stopped a small distance away, the men behind him haulting with him.

The tension began to rise as the two groups stared at eachother. Frisk hesitantly scooted forward a few feet in front of their Monster family. The gray uniformed man watched silently as Frisk gave a nervous wave and smile. There was a brief second where no one made a move, until suddenly, the gray man began to quickly march up the path. The men behind him did not follow, just as startled by the movement as the Monsters.

His hat flew off, revealing his now messy reddish hair, and showing the man's face, determination and something else lining his features. Once he got close enough, he fell to his knees in front of Frisk, and nearly yanked the child into a hug. From this distance, the monsters could now see the tears unashamedly building and falling from the man's soft gray eyes. As Frisk returned the hold with no less force, he took a shaky breath, only for his exhale to turn into a choked sob.

" _You're alive_." He croaked, wrapping his arms tighter around Frisk, as if they'd vanish if he let go. "You're alive, you're alive, oh thank god, you're alive, you're really _alive_ -"

He began to rock himself and Frisk as his mantra dissolved into sobbing. By the jumping of Frisk's shoulders, they were too. Tears gathered in a few of the Monsters' eyes as well, the heartwarming scene easing some of their own worries. Eventually, the two pulled apart just enough to look at each other's faces. Carefully, he held Frisk's face, softly wiping away their tears as his own slowly continued to fall.

"I'd scold you for all the worry you put all of us through, but right now, I just... want to keep making sure this is real." Frisk made to sign 'sorry,' but he stopped them. "Ah-ah, no, you don't have to apologize for anything. Just the fact you're ok is enough..." Frisk hesitated, but eventually wrapped their arms around his neck, the hug quickly returned.

All the tension seemed to fall away from the two groups at the sight. The man stood with Frisk still in his arms. He slowly stepped towards the Monsters, looking relieved, tired, and sheepish all at once. He took a breath to steady himself, before addressing the Monsters.

"I... won't lie. I don't know anything that happened while Frisk was down under the mountain with you. I don't know anything about any of you, or what actions you took in regards to you interactions with Frisk." He stated, "But Frisk is here. Alive and whole. And for that, I can't begin to thank you enough."

"There is hardly anything to be thanking us for." Asgore replied, a kind smile on his face. "It was Frisk's own determination that that drove them forward, and their kindness that showed us Mercy, that in the end, freed us from our prison. There is far more that we should be thanking them for."

"Even so, there is still much that needs to be done." Toriel began, "It has been centuries since our imprisonment. We do not know what humanity remembers of us, and our own knowledge has been limited to the garbage that falls from above."

"Right. Politics and all that jazz." The man set Frisk down, and patted their head. "Now, before I forget, Frisk, why don't you introduce me to your new friends?" Frisk beamed up at him and ran over to Asgore and Toriel.

' _This is Mom and Dad! The King and Former Queen!_ ' They happily signed. The man simply raised a brow, looking somewhat amused.

"Only you could end up getting adopted by Royalty, bucko." He smirked, making Frisk giggle.

"And how might we address you, dear friend of Frisk's?" Asgore prompted. The man stood straighter, raising his arm in salute.

"The name's Lieutenant Becket Deedy of Ebbot State Park's Park Rangers, Sire. And I'm going to do everything in my power to help you get back to living on the surface."

His words rang just.

~~~~

In the end, Becket had then been the one to translate Frisk's sign language to the Officials, as they trusted him not to lie about what Frisk is signing, and it would have taken too long to get a translator brought to them. He had assured them it was a precaution on their part, and he was very glad it was him. Anyone else could also lie and cause far more problems for the monsters than anything. Becket wouldn't stand for that.

There were many things to discuss. How to reintroduce Monsters to the surface with as little backlash as possible, helping them become up to date with current society, and helping the humans understand the monsters better in return.

They all decided that it may be best to let the folk of the village decide as well. Both Frisk and Becket attested to the villagers' kindness. And it later proved right, at least for the most part. Since both sides were still cautious of eachother, only a small group of monsters had been voted to be allowed in the village. The Officials decided that, at most, there would be a 3 or so month period for this 'trial.' The trial would end just before the new school year starts. This would give Frisk, who still needs to go to school even if they're now Ambassador of an entire race there is no exception, the max amount of time to mediate between the two sides as needed.

"Alright Frisk, you ready to head out?" Becket smiled down at them and mushed up their hair. Frisk giggled and raced over to their friends.

"Ok, now, is everyone else ready?" Becket began a mental checklist.

"I do believe so." Toriel.

"R-ready as we'll ever be." Alphys.

"Darling, I was born ready." Mettaton.

"OH THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!" Papyrus.

"HELL YEAH WE'RE READY!!" Undyne.

Becket nodded, then glaned over at the remaining Skeleton. Sans mearly shruged, his permanent grin widening slightly.

"don't think ya need this lazybones telling you when to head out." Becket snorted a quick chuckle.

"Alright. And your Majesty?"

Asgore heaved a sigh, before giving the Ranger a nervous smile.

"Let's go. Delaying will only make everyone more anxious."

Becket nodded once more, before turning and leading them out of the caves and down the pathway.

"As I've said, we've got vehicles down at the base of the mountain. It is a bit of a walk out of the park and the paths, while quite lovely, can tire you out quickly if you're not used to such a thing. And while it might not be the most comfortable thing, we don't have any motor vehicles on hand that can fit beings of your stature," he gestured to the King and Queen, "that isn't meant to house wild animals. And I'd rather be mauled by said wild animals before I ever disrespected a sentient being of any kind like that."

The group finally came to the bottom of the path. There stood three large, open topped, horse drawn carriages. The horses stood passively as the drivers waited and seemed to chat. Frisk looked absolutely delighted at the sight, clapping and hopping around in excitement.

"We had to... commandeer these from the town. I hope you don't have much of a problem with them. It's all we could come up with that was in any way comfortable for anyone."

"And by 'commandeer,' he means, nearly get bowled over by volunteers wanting to hurry and meet our new neighbors!" Becket smiled sheepishly at the joking reprimand of one of the drivers. Laughter bubbled in the air.

"This is more than fine. Your thoughtfulness and kindness are very reassuring." Asgore beamed. The Ranger sighed in relief.

"Alright, alright. Let's figure out groups. These have one long seat on either side, and they usually hold two to three people each comfortably." Becket instructed. There was a quick discussion before the groups split up as such; Ones cart for Mettaton, Alphys, and Undyne. One for Toriel, Frisk, Sans and Papyrus. And the Final cart for Asgore and Becket.

"Is everyone all settled in?" Called one of the carriage drivers. There was a resounding cheer from the monsters. "Alright! We're off!!"

The horses were spurred on, and the monsters began their first trek away from the mountain that had been their home and prison.

\------

It was almost comical, how many people had gathered to see the monsters arrive. What seemed like half the town, both adults and children, had gathered to loiter under shop awnings and other porches from the first building out of the forest to a least two houses over past the Inn, on both sides of the streets. It was so similar to parade gatherings, except condensed into a five-six house range.

The only thing missing was the local news station, but then again, they were a lot more respectful than most other news station in the country. (It probably wasn't even going to be necessary, since you could easily spot at least 20 phones and cameras at the ready just across the street.) Your own family had gathered on the long porch along the front of the Inn, since that's where they would be dropped off.

Well, it wasn't just your family on the Inn's porch. The Mayor, his Assistant, the Orphanage Matron, and Frisk and Julia's little group of friends had also gathered to welcome the new neighbors. Even several local spirits had shown up when to took a harder look around. You scratched at your thigh from under the leg of your cargo shorts, glacing beside you at Damion as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

"I'm! So! Hyped! Up!" He punctuated each word with a bounce.

"Damion, boy, you're gonna bounce a hole right through the porch if you don't calm down." Your father chuckled.

"Sorry Uncle Murph." Damion stopped his bouncing, but you could still feel the nervous excitement radiating off your cousin.

"You need to put a cap on the intake sweety, before you get too excited. Jules looks like she's ready to take off before they even get here, and she still only half as in tune as the rest of us." Aunt Nina quietly reprimanded, yet jokingly tugged on the back of Julia's shirt as your little cousin pouted, not moving from her perch at the very edge of the top porch step.

All this anxious energy was starting to make you jittery, your hands beginning to shake like you've had too much coffee. If this is how you were feeling after only 20 minutes, it's almost no wonder Damion is practically sugar rushing. All of your family had learned to read emotions through people's Auras, the natural energy given off by people's souls, and sometimes said emotions could influence your own when in a high enough concentration. Being an Empath proper made Damion 10 times more sensitive to others emotions than the rest of you, and while he's gotten a lot better at filtering out other's emotions from his own, there are still times he simply chooses not to. Usually when there are immense amounts of Positive emotions. Like right now.

"You're gonna crash real hard after this and regret." You mumble as you lean on the railing, cheek resting on your fist.

"Then so be it." Damion declared with absolute serious. Though the humor dancing in his eyes gave away his façade. You chuckled and turned your gaze back down the path. It wasn't long until the _klip-klop, klip-klop_ of horse hooves could be heard.

A hush fell over the crowd, making the hoof steps seem even louder, and the emotional energy spiked higher than the mountain. Oh, Damion's gonna have one hell of a migraine after this. Everyone silently watched as the three carts emerged from the forest trails.

From here you could only see the lead cart, were you spotted Becket sitting across from what looked like a giant Goat man. Broad shoulders, long curled horns, and a curly gold beard gave the Monster a regal appearence, and easily towering over Becket's smaller form by at least a head and a half sitting.

Damn, did you guys even have a bed that big in the Inn? You hoped so, you can't really remember at the moment.

The closer the carriages got, the more people you could hear whispering. Wide eyed with awe and wonder, the town watched the three carriages finally stop in front of the Inn. As Becket and the drivers began helping the Monsters out of the carriages, you took the time to take all of them in. Aside from the first goat monster, in the second cart there was another, slightly smaller, more feminine goat Monster, who held a more motherly, yet no less regal air. With her was a pair of skeletons, a tall, seemingly very excited one in some kind of costume(?), and a smaller, more laid back looking one in a blue, furred parka.

And Frisk.

A quick glance to Julia showed she noticed as well. If the unblinking stare was anything to go by.

The final cart held what looked like a blue fish lady, a yellow lizard/dinosaur, and a _fucking robot holy shit._

You turned back to the second carriage when one more thing caught your eye.

Was... Was that a _ghost kid_ sitting off the back corner of the carriage?

You leaned forward a little, focusing on them, and sure enough, no one noticed them in such an obvious and dangerous spot. The kid was transparent, just like every other ghost you met. From here you could see they had light brown hair in a neat, straight bob, and a green and yellow striped shirt, and you couldn't really discern a gender or see their face well. They looked close to Frisk's age, if a little older.

You... weren't exactly sure what to make of it. If a child ghost didn't pass on right after death, they usually stayed put either where they died or where they were familiar with. Rarely did children ghosts wander any far distance willingly. Even older children and Teens, and even some young adults like yourself, kept to this standard. Older folk tended to wander within a limited area or attached themself to someone or something. You watched the ghost hop off the back of the cart and move to hover near-

 _Oh_.

Frisk discreetly glanced to their side.

Right where the ghost was.

 _So that's it_.

You took a breath to try and calm the sudden lurch in your gut.

That's... certainly a development. You'd need to keep an eye on that.

As the carriages began to head out once more, there was another silence over the crowd. It wasn't quite a standoff, but the air wasn't exactly calming. The hesitation on both sides was practically palpable. It was getting more and more awkward as time ticked by, the eyes if the crowd not helping in the slightest.

Well, until an orange blur nearly tackled Frisk to the ground, scaring almost everyone. You glanced over to the porch steps.

Where the _hell_ had Julia learned to move so fast?

Looking back over at the Monsters, no one seemed to know what to do, too starled by Julia's sudden action. Frisk tried to get a look at her, but she had stubbornly burried her face in Frisk's shoulder, clinging tightly around their neck.

The squeezing must have become too much, as Frisk began to rapidly tap at Julia's back. She quickly pulled away, but gripped tightly to Frisk's shoulders instead. Her face was beat red and pinched in distress, tears messily raining down her cheek and breathing labored. Frisk gave her a startled and worried look, hands moving up to do something, but hanging in the air between them, unsure of what exactly to do. Julia took that choice from them, though.

 ** _"Don't ever leave like that again!!!"_** She wailed, voice cracking and giving Frisk a few weak shakes. "Don't leave me here not knowing what happened to you!!! Don't leave me-... D-Don't leave me th-thinking you..." Her words tapered off as she curled into Frisk's shoulder again and began crying in earnest. Frisk, in turn, crushed Julia to them. At this point the other children of the pair's friend circle raced forward off the porch to form a tearful dog pile on Frisk. You watched with a faint smile, knowing that the tears shed here are not of sadness. Glancing around you and at the crowd confirmed that there wasn't a dry eye watching the site.

Frisk was home, and that's all they needed.

You stood up straight. It didn't seem like the Mayor or anyone were going to move to break up the moment, but you knew there would be a lot of tears, so you came prepared. If someone was going to moving things forward, you'd do it. You stepped around your family and slowly meandered your way down to the Monsters. You sent a quick look over to Becket, who simply smiled and nodded slightly. You kneeled down, carefully helping the children to sit or stand up off of Frisk, pulling out a few tissue packets and handing them each a tissue.

"Ok, ok. You're all ok." You soflty comforted them, "Frisk isn't going anywhere you can't follow anymore. You'll be seeing them a lot soon, but right now, we all need to take a breath and relax. They need to help us here at the Inn settle our new friends in. Ok?"

The children nodded or made noises of agreement, before congregating to stand in the space around you as close to Frisk as they could, with Julia taking her place clinging to Frisk's arm. You smiled and reached to ruffle Frisk's hair, making them silently giggle, before standing and facing the Monsters who and been watching you. You took a breath to steady yourself, before launching into what you hoped would be what the Mayor would have said.

"Well," you began, "I'm sure this has been one heck of a ride for everyone. And no doubt this is still going to be one. I won't lie to you. There will be people who will oppose you and your existence, for many reasons. However," you looked each one of the Monsters in the eye before continuing, "if there is one place that I believe will accept you all, wholeheartedly and without prejudice, it's right here in Little Ebbot. This I have faith in."

You held out your hand, not towards any one of them, but still able to be taken by any of them, and gave them a cheerful lopsided grin.

"I welcome you to Little Ebbot Inn&Suites and welcome you back to the outside world." There was a pause among the Monsters, until the grinning smaller skeleton, who you were just realizing was actually nearly the same height as you, grinned wider at you and gave you a look you identified too late as mischief.

He snached up your hand and the sound of flatulence filled the air. You stared wide eyed, smile frozen in place in shock. The skeleton's grin only grew as the rubber in your conjoined hands crinkled and the sound petered out.

The silence following felt deafening.

And your uproarious laughter after shattered it like glass.

" _SANS!!!!_ " The taller skeleton yelled with indignation, but you just continued laughing.

A whoopie cusion. A hand held _whoopie cusion_! The crowd was quick to follow you, laughter ringing out. _Ooooh_ , oh it was starting to hurt with how much you were laughing. You began to curl into yourself, until you were only a laughing ball sitting on the ground, hand weakly clinging to the skeleton's.

"whoopie cusion in the hand. always a classic." Said the skeleton -Sans?-, his grin very please with the crowd's reaction. Some were even earnestly applauding him! He watched you try to rein in your laughter for a bit more, before slipping his hand from your weakened grip. You let him, bringing it back to join its twin around your middle.

"O-Oh, wow. That-t's certainly not something you'd expect in this situation." The Mayor had finally come over to meet the group, wiping a tear from his eye, along with, his Assistant, the Matron and your parents. "That was a good one. I haven't had that good of a laugh in a while. Thank you for that." He smiled a welcoming smile and began to introduce himself to the group.

"Alright, cuz, up you go." Becket had made his way over to you, still a ball, giggling now and again, and easily heaved you up into a princess carry.

"Alrighty kiddos, grown-ups gotta talk now. You best skidaddle before it starts getting late." The children made many groans and pouts of complaint. "Don't worry, Frisk will be right back to playing with you all tomorrow. Now, get going." The children pouted a bit more, before all turning to Frisk to promise they'll meet up tomorrow. After, they quickly scattered into the crowd, now also slowly dissipating.

"I'll see you guys inside!" Becket called over his shoulder as he carried you back to the Inn. "You ok there cuz?" Your breathing had finally evened out, despite the odd giggle that might bubble up.

"His hand was warm..." You dazedly murmur.

"The skeleton's?" Becket raised a brow. You hummed in confirmation. "Huh, cool."

It was a quick thing to plunk you down on the couch in the lobby, a little drained and jittery, and very oddly blissed out. Damion was already sprawled out on the couch before you got there, an arm over his eyes.

"Hey, did you two finish fixing up the rooms?" Becket suddenly inquired.

"Fuck, we forgot the duvets, they're still in the dryer." Damion sat up quickly in a slight panic.

"Don't worry, I'll help you guys." Becket glanced at you quickly as you giggle slightly. "Or maybe just you, bro. ____ looks high as a kite for some reason."

"Yeah, I don't know." You feel Damion poke you, making you giggle again. "Let's go get the duvets."

"Bet you can't carry them all."

"Oh? Bet you I can."

"Really, with how shaky you look, I don't know?"

"Oh, you are _on_."

Their conversation fades into the background as they head for the laundry room. You continue to lay on the couch staring into space, still happily dazed from the prank the skeleton pulled on you.

Though something in the back of your mind told you it was something more than the prank, your head was too fuzzy to properly take notice of the thought, and it flittered off as you fell into a light doze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took far longer than I wanted it to, but that's life. And to make up for it, it accidentally turned into this long ass thing. Still kinda proud of it.


	3. Your Hand In Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things that happen in this chapter;  
> \- Hinting at things  
> \- Sans pov of The Hand Shake  
> \- The word 'Inn' being used as a pun far too often  
> \- Descriptions  
> \- Sans and Reader have an actual conversation  
> \- You all realizing I have no idea what I'm doing

_Please..._

-What?-

_Please..._

-Hello?-

_Keep them safe..._

-Who the...?-

_Don't loose Faith..._

-What the hell?-

_**Beware the red-eyed shadow.** _

"JEsUs fuCKinG- _OOF!_ "

You coughed slightly. You had startled yourself awake or something and fell off the couch. Not a long drop, but landing on your back had knocked a bit of air out of your lungs. You're lucky you didn't smack the low table nearby.

"Ow... What the fuck...?" You muttered, sitting up with help of the couch. Your head felt like it was full of cotton. Not the usual feeling you get from an Empathy Crash, but you've also never been in the center of a big shift during a gathering. Nor a shift from stifling anxiety to copious amounts of joy and amusement. You're a bit shaky, but not as exhausted as you could have been. And no pounding headache either, thankfully.

You felt pretty damn great actually, all things considered. Huh.

Also, what had even woke you? You think you were dreaming...? Your head is still too fuzzy to form any intricate thoughts, let alone try and figure out a dream from an Empathy Crash. A deep breath evens your mind out enough to push that away for now and focus.

You check a nearby clock on the wall. According to it, you were only out a few minutes. Well, that was good, didn't want to miss anything important. You carefully clambered into a standing position, trying not to let the jelly feeling of your legs knock you back on your ass. A quick look around showed that no one was in the lobby, so that meant the Monsters were still outside, right? Might as well get something to drink to re-energize yourself before they come in and see your disheveled state. You yawn and head for the kitchen. Maybe that one housekeeper ghost will finally tell you that one tea recipe she's been mentioning so often.

You don't notice the fading tingle in you hand.

\--------

_**Ding!** _

"Are you sure you've got it, bro?"

"Just because your military training allowed you to be able to bench press like, 300 something pounds does not mean I suddenly can't lift the same amount of duvets I've always carried!"

Becket snorted a laugh as he continued to tease his brother. Damion's flare of dramaticism always was a mystery, who he got it from no one knew, but it made for the best reactions.

"There duvets you asshole, they're not even that heavy! Just cumbersome! And we could have always used the dolly, but noooooo, you wanted to carry them to the rooms. You're lucky we have functioning elevators! Or else we-"

"Your head still good?"

Damion choked on his words at that, nearly stumbling in surprise. He stopped and watched his brother continue down the hall. His paling face and shaking hands were hidden by the duvets. His eyes prickle more and more with each searing pulse in his temple and his stomach is flipping and the dim lights of the hall are still too _bright_ -

Becket pauses and looks back. Damion realizes he's yet to reply.

"... I'm fine." He finally says, muffled slightly as he presses his face into the duvets, hiding. Becket's eyes searched him, he could feel it. Becket finally sighs, something like fondness and exasperation in the tone.

"I'll get you some pills in a bit."

The two continue.

Damion doesn't mention how his brother could see through his lie. His brother always knew truth from lies. It's what he was best at. Like how Damion always knew that his big brother was only concerned, never mad at him for trying to be tougher than he was.

In the end, all Deedys were crybabies, after all.

......

"I hope those are the pills from the aid box in the lobby."

"You know, I can always just not give you anything and let you suffer for being an idiot."

"No! I'm sorry! Please don't- _urk!_ "

"And this is the reason I've ended up memorizing every last fine detail of every bottle of ibuprofen we own..."

\------

The surge of magic in Sans' bones had finally settled back to its usual lazy hum.

He didn't know what happened, nor had it been unpleasant, but it was still odd. It had begun after the orange haired girl -Julia? Becket and Frisk mentioned her enough- and other kids had clambered around Frisk, when the taller human stepped off the porch and over to placate the crying children. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off them as they gently settled the children.

(No one had, but that's besides the point.)

His eyelights continued to watch them, a buzzing echoing in the back of his skull. He had been on edge since they could see the town from the carriages, unsure of how the humans would react to them. Sure, so far it had just been kind of unnerving with all the people holding up cameras and their phones, but who knows what could happen? He didn't and that scared him a lot more than it should have normally.

~~But, since when had 'normal' been anything but a lie for him?~~

They stood up, satisfied with the contentment of the kids, their eyes soft and warm, a small smile playing on their lips. Sans felt his SOUL flutter in a strange way.

Something about this person both calmed and excited him. His magic rushed about inside him, not unlike an excited child, something it hadn't done since he was a kid himself. He barely listened to what they were saying, but when they finished and held out their hand, he knew what he had to do. It never hurt to have a little fun.

The second their hands made contact, it was like fireworks were shooting off in his bones, his SOUL throbbing in a way he's never felt. It was new, unknown, both frightening and exhilarating. It was so hard to act like nothing was happening, to keep up his mask. He didn't need anyone freaking out over something that could be nothing at all.

And then they laughed and it felt like Heaven's Gates had opened to a choir of angels. Papyrus' scolding tone rings behind him but he doesn't care. The whole crowd was laughing and enjoying his prank, and yet the only thing he could focus on was them. They were curling in on themself now from laughter and he didn't want to let go of their hand.

Sans didn't want for much, always trying to be selfless, putting others above his own needs, especially his brother's. Hell, he would die for everyone in the Underground, if it came down to it.

~~He almost _had_.~~

But they weren't in the Underground anymore. They were on the surface, and everything seemed to be going good. So maybe... Maybe it was ok now.

Maybe he could be selfish this one time.

He wanted to keep this glorious and unprecedented feeling.

He wanted to feel it again.

He wanted to know if they felt it too.

He wanted to know _them_.

He let go of their hand.

Even so, old habits die hard. But, as things are now, he could do this. He could take this one day at a time, as there were no lingering threats of any loss of progress to Resets. Because he knew, if he could help it, Frisk wouldn't be Resetting. Wouldn't need to. The two of them were going to make sure of it. As more people walk over, Sans watches Becket scooch around everyone to make his way to them. Sans is reminded of how, back when the negotiations were still ongoing, when Becket told them about his family. How he had a number of cousins, but only one still lived in Ebbot. They must be that cousin. (But he doesn't remember their _name_.)

Sans half listens to the Mayor, Matron, and Innkeepers speak with Tori and Asgore, watching Becket carry them back into the Inn out of the corner of his eye. Once the two of them are out of sight, Sans turns to calming himself. He only tunes back into the conversation at the end of it, seeing as the Mayor and Matron are leaving.

"I do hope you've all had a pleasant time so far." The Lady Innkeeper (he _really_ should have payed more attention to the introductions) says, smiling warmly at them. "And hopefully, your stay with us will be pleasant as well. We have many rooms to choose from, seeing as we won't be accepting any other guests while you are staying with us."

"This will not hurt your finances? I hope we are not causing you to loose your livelihood for this." Toriel fretted, always the worrier. The Lord Innkeeper chuckled and shook his head.

"Oh no, not at all. The government is actually reimbursing the entire town for this, seeing as they aren't letting in any tourists to keep incidents as low as possible, even though that's the town's highest form of revenue. According to them, the only people allowed in are goods deliveries, residents, or those who can prove they have family here." He explained. "It's really no trouble to anyone but the tourists, we just want to help as much as we can."

"That is good. It would be terrible if we caused you distress in return for your kindness."

"Not at all. It's a valid concern, but one you need not have." The Lady then beamed clasped her hands together. "But, anyway, we need to get you guys settled in! Please follow us."

Inside the Inn, the Monsters took their time observing everything. Many warm browns from the wood, with dashes of red, orange, green, and white from the furniture decorating the lobby and waiting area. Front and center was the check in and check out desks, currently unoccupied by anyone, and a small, shimmering chandelier hung above them.

To the left, couches and a large coffee table sat on a plush rug, circling a large brick fireplace. A tall, intricately carved and partially gilded grandfather clock stood proudly next to the fireplace, like a sentenal keeping watch. Scenery scape paintings and wide windows filled the walls, as well as delicate, lantern-like wall lights and the odd wall clock. A few bookshelves lined the far wall, with a pair of plush loveseats and another low table between them. A few potted plants dotted the corners and tables, adding another breathe of life to the already lively room. Farther back lead to the stairs and elevators to head up to the rooms, as well as other, staff only areas.

To the right was a small dining area, a long buffet table along the back wall, empty of food at the present. A few booths lined the opposite wall, tall windows giving a pleasant view of the front yard of the Inn, and a handful of tables with chairs scattered the open area between the buffet and booths. Polished wood became wide, soft colored tiles, and a TV hung from a corner above the booths. A swinging 'staff only' door stood near the buffet table, most likely leading to the kitchen, and a hall on the other side said it lead to the restrooms.

"W-wow..." Came Alphys' breathless comment.

"My, it feels so homey in here." Mettaton gasped softly. "Very relaxed and welcoming."

"Yeah! With how big it is, I was expecting something more high-class kind of fancy, but this is cool!" Undyne agreed, trying to take everything in.

"It shows its age very well, too. Like a wizened elder. It's a unique kind of charming, not something you can truly replicate." Asgore mused as he ran his hand along one of the logs making up most of the walls.

"IT REMINDS ME A LOT OF THE INN BACK IN SNOWDIN! EXCEPT BIGGER, AND FEWER BUNNIES." Papyrus added. "WHAT DO YOU THINK SANS?"

"yeah bro, real _inn_ -viting place." Sans winked. He snickered along with Toriel and the Lady, while the Lord facepalmed, hiding a smile, and Papyrus admonished him. Frisk and Julia quietly giggled at the scene as the others rolled their eyes good naturedly.

"First pranks, now puns. Oh, lordy, your sister is never going to let him leave. She's gonna adopt him, Nelly. A skeleton is going to be our new nephew." The Lady -Nelly- burst into laughter at her husband's words.

"Oh my god, you're right Murphy!" Nelly leaned on her husband's shoulder for support as laughter continued to plague her. "Nina's going to absolutely love this. We're going to loose weight with all the punnery that's going to be thrown around."

"should i be accepting an _inn_ -evetable fate?"

"SANS PLEASE."

"Come now Sans," Toriel admonished through her giggles, "you are being a bit _inn_ -sensitive, don't you think?" Sans' grin only widened.

"LADY TORIEL NO!"

"Alright, alright," Murphy spoke up, raising his hands in a placating gesture, "let me _inn_ -tervene here before we get too carried away."

Silence permeated the air as everyone stared at him. Murphy blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"Honey," Nelly wheezed through her laughter, "you made a pun."

Papyrus shrieked in indignation as Murphy burried his face in his hands, exasperated. Everyone else laughed heartely at the whole situation.

"So did I miss the joke of the year or is everyone just having fun without me?"

Sans' SOUL pulsed at the familiar voice. All eyes turned and there they were, a glass of what looked like apple juice on ice, and an amused smirk on your face.

"Oh, _____, thank god. Dear, can you go back behind check in and get the room maps and the card reader ready? We still need to decide rooms for our guests." Murphy hurriedly directed the conversation back to its intended point. They raised a brow, still very amused, but shruged and did as their Father said.

'_____', huh? It had a nice ring to it. Sans followed their movements with his eyes, trying to look as casual as his coursing magic would allow.

He failed to notice Toriel's own gaze on him; knowing and cautiously hopeful.

\-----

As you fired up the computer for check in and set your glass aside, you pulled open one of the desk drawers to grab a few of the pamphlets that were stored in there. Then you pulled out a stack of blank key cards and set them aside. Time to work your magic. You open a brochure and pointed out each room as you explained them.

"Alright then. Now, we've got a few different kinds of rooms. We've got our Standard singles and doubles; a bed (or two), a tv, and a bathroom, some other basic amenities. We've also got some more luxurious versions of these too. Then we've got our Triples and Families; three bed suites, large bath, mini fridge, sitting area, the works." You easily recite the knowledge you've known all your life. "Then we get into our Deluxe stuff. Now, just to inform you, these are just what we call our suites in particular, other hotels might have something similar under the same or different name. Just a business thing, don't mind it. We've got the Hiker's suite, Honeymoon suite, Party Cabin suite, and the Presidential..."

You go on explaining, answering any questions the Monsters have. They tease Alphys and Undyne -the fish and dino ladies, who you found out were a couple- about if they'd get the Honeymoon, but the two ultimately decided on a Double. Asgore only had the choice of the Presidential suite, as it was the only one with a California King bed; the biggest you guys had, and even then, it was still a bit small lengthwise. He was understanding and thanked you for trying to insure his comfort with what you had. Sans, Papyrus, and Toriel also chose Doubles; Toriel to share with Frisk, who was given permission to stay, and the bros so they could be near eachother in an unfamiliar place. Mettaton chose one of the suites all to himself, unsurprising for the celebrity.

You quickly set up the cards, handing them out as you finished them. Frisk and Julia explained how the cards worked, demonstrating on a nearby room with a Skeleton card they'd borrowed from your mom. The Monsters then wondered off with your parents, showing them where the rooms were, and probably giving them a tour. This was when Becket finally came back from replacing the duvets, though you noticed Damion wasn't with him.

"Dam okay?" You called to him.

"Will be, probably by dinner. Gonna tell Ma 'bout it so she knows." Becket walked over to you and reached over the desk to feel your forehead with the back of his hand. You leaned into the touch, knowing you couldn't dissuade him. "How are you doing though?"

"Still a bit shaky, but otherwise fine." He stared at you for a bit, checking your aura for lies, humming when he saw your honesty, but brows pinching slightly in mild confusion. He brushed it off though, not questioning what he only had so much experience with.

"... Oh by the way." He pulled out a small pill bottle from his pocket. "This goes back in the first aid kit under check out." You took the bottle from him, walking over to check out and replacing the bottle to its rightful place in the kit under the desk. When you stand back up, Becket is on his phone, texting.

"... Aunty out shopping?"

"Yeah, gonna head out and help her. You know how Ma can get sometimes when she's excited." The two of you share a chuckle.

"You do that. Think I'm gonna just, hang around on one of the couches for a bit. See if any of 'em need help or something later."

"Text if you need anything?"

"You know I do."

Damion headed out and you retreated from behind check in to one of the long couches. Setting your glass of juice on the table and flopping down on the couch, you gave a long sigh, forearm laying across your eyes. The juice helped get you back in gear, but Empathy Crashes were never things that could be fixed quickly. Damion always got the worst, but you came in a close second. You're just glad that, whatever happened, Life had decided to go easy on you, and in no way did you envy your cousin.

You don't know how long you were laying there, half-dozing, half-meditative, when you hear soft footsteps from the hall. You pause to listed, making sure you actually heard the near silent steps. But they were there, so you pulled yourself up to see who it was.

Ah, it was the smaller skeleton. Sans you think? He's noticed you as well, the seemingly permanent grin of his widening slightly as he shuffles over to you. You shift to kneeling on the cushions, leaning on the back of the couch to greet the Monster.

"Hey. There something you need, or you just wandering around?" You ask. He gives you an easy shrug.

"just wandering. the _inn_ -door pool was a bit of a surprise. everyone got a little un- _hinged_ in their excitement, but calmed down before a _inn_ -cident happened."

"Yeah, you wouldn't be the first though, if it did. We once had an angry bird land on a door knob; it flew off the handle. Most anyone who stays at a hotel know common curtesy, so guests are usually beh- _avian_ , but sometimes childr- _inn_ happen."

His jaw drops, star struck. Then he burst into surprised laughter. He looks absolutely elated. You giggled as well, proud that you could come up with all of that so quick on the fly. Fuck, now you couldn't stop. Aunty Nina would be so proud.

"you do realize you've started a war." He finally said after calming down. You just grinned at him.

"Maybe. But I think I can _handle_ whatever you throw at me." He chuckles a bit more, then meanders to the other side of the couch and plops down next to you. In turn, you shift back to a proper sitting position on the couch.

"Don't think we ever really got properly introduced after everything. It would be good to know the name of my enemy in this pun-off." You begin, holding out your hand. "I'm _____. My parents technically own and run the Inn."

"sans. sans the skeleton. the other skeleton is my bro, papyrus." He takes your hand, this time giving it a proper shake.

You beam. His hand is definitely warm, and like a sponge, it seeps into your hand, up your arm, and through the entirety of you, resting pointedly in the area of your heart. It makes you feel light, like gravity has been turned off. It's an astounding feeling.

You haven't tried looking at his, or any of the Monsters', auras. But you feel like you don't need to right now. You think you've got an idea of what Sans is feeling right now.

You think you're going to be spending a lot of time with Sans.

You don't really think you mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damion has Empathy  
> Reader can see ghosts
> 
> Does anyone wanna guess what Becket has? Or anyone else I've introduced in Reader's family?
> 
> I won't say if you're right or wrong, but have fun with ideas.
> 
>  
> 
> It's 1:40 in the morning, I'm going to bed.


	4. Stars In Your Eyes, Whispers In My Ear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this out.
> 
> Hey, have you noticed anything?

After your little reintroduction, you and Sans sat and chatted, throwing a pun or joke out every now and then. It was relaxing, just getting to know someone at an easy pace one on one. 

You've decided on observing the way his aura would flicker here and there when you brought up a topic. Might as well get used to its feeling.  
  
His aura's standard seems to be a lazy, closely held pool around him, its light verrying shades of blue, flecked and streaked with yellow. It reminded you of lapis lazuli.  
  
When you brought up topics like food or gadgets, its flow would speed up slightly, to show his enjoyment of the topic. When Papyrus became the topic, his aura practically _danced_ around him in joy and love. There wasn't any topic that got his aura to dance like that that you've found. Still, it looked beautiful.  
  
You could also tell certain instances where Sans would avoid a topic by redirecting it with a pun or joke. Mostly, when a bad topic was brought up, his aura was just the jittery waviness of being uncomfortable, but once or twice, it would give a sharp flick that could only be _fear_. It was sometimes things about the Underground, but most of it was about things in his past.  
  
As curious as you were, you let it go. You've only just met, so it's obvious he won't tell you his life story. You take careful mark of the topics to avoid in the future, for when he's ready to talk, if he ever decides to.  
  
You talked for who knows how long, until your phone begins to screaming at you.  
  
No, literally, your ringtone is some guy yelling "You've got a text message!" a few times in a few different ways.  
  
You giggled and pulled out your phone, cutting off the ringtone and checking the message. It was Becket.  
  
_Bucket: So, in her excitement, Ma forgot to ask if the Monsters could even eat human food._  
  
_\- They can._  
  
_Bucket: ????? How??? Do you know?????_  
  
_\- I've been here talking to one of them after you left. Food was one of the topics._  
  
_Bucket: Well ok then. Problem solved._  
  
You snorted. There was no stopping Aunty Nina now.  
  
"I hope you guys are into having a feast prepared for you."  
  
"oh?" Sans rose a brow at that.  
  
"Yeah. Aunty Nina's the cook around here. She loves making food for guests, whether it's here or house guests back in the cabin. I'm sure she's got a crock pot of something cooking right now while she's getting more stuff at the store. It's just her nature."  
  
"seems like she's a _host_ of hospitality."  
  
"And speak of the devil." You pointed to the front as the door opened. In came Aunt Nina with several bags of food hung from her arms, Becket following close behind. She looked like she just won the lottery and you couldn't help giggling, alerting her to your presence.  
  
"Ah! Oh, good. If it's not too much trouble, could you two be a couple of dears and go inform everyone that dinner will be in about an hour?" She asked.  
  
"Wow, only an hour? How much do you already have cooking in there?" You teased.  
  
"Oh this and that. I'll _whip_ up something and hope it doesn't cause anyone to _boil over. Baste_ on what I've seen though, I'm sure it's only a _half baked_ worry." She beamed.  
  
Sans' eyes were practically sparkling. Becket was trying not to laugh.  
  
"Ma, no."  
  
"Ma, _yes_."  
  
You're laughing as you stand. You motion to placate the situation before things get too off track.  
  
"Ok, ok. You go get the food ready. Sans and I will go tell everyone when to be down." You hold out your hand to Sans, who grins a allows you to hoist him up.  
  
The two of you head off as Becket tugs Aunty to the kitchen. The two of you decide that you'd go up the elevator to get Mettaton and Asgore, while Sans stayed on the ground floor and got everyone else. You chatted a bit more while you waited for the elevator.  
  
"frisk was lucky finding your family." Sans said suddenly. "being raised around such kindness and love... it turned the kid into something special."  
  
You hummed in thought, but shook your head, smiling slightly.  
  
"Nah. I think we're the lucky ones." He gives you a curious look, but you make no motion to continue. The elevator arives soon after.  
  
You walk in and press the needed button. Sans is still watching you from the hall and you send him a soft smile. He shrugs and send a smile back as the doors close.  
  
"He seems nice."  
  
You turn to the transparent housekeeper at your side. She's smiling in an all too familiar way that makes you sigh in exasperation.  
  
"Please don't. Georgia is already gonna have a field day the next time I see her. I don't need it from you too."  
  
"I have no idea what you mean." She says, still smiling. You roll your eyes, but then you get an idea.  
  
"Hey. Can you keep an eye on something for me?"  
  
\---------  
  
Sans stares at the elevator door for a second longer before finally moving to the task at hand. He's quick to shortcut to the room he's sharing with Papyrus to see if he's there.  
  
The room is empty, but Sans is pretty sure he knows where his brother is. He exits the room and heads a little ways down the hall, easily picking up the loud voices of his brother and the Captain. It seems they've all migrated to Toriel and Frisk's room at the moment.  
  
_Knock knock_  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
"bed."  
  
"Bed who?"  
  
"bed you can't guess who I am."  
  
Toriel opened the door, giggling as Papyrus groaned in the background.  
  
"Welcome back, Sans." She beamed down at him as he stepped in.  
  
"Where ya been you punk!?" Undyne hollers from the beds farthest bed from the door, which by all means is still pretty close.  
  
"eh, just chattin' with _____, the owners' kid. caught'em in the lobby and ended up sticking around." Sans shrugged. Toriel smiled, and her eye twinkled with a joy that seemed.... more? Sans blinked and but didn't say anything. He knew Toriel's tone of voice better than her expressions still. And nothing showed he should be worried, so he shrugged off the odd look. She was happy, so no need to ruin that by questioning it.  
  
"I do hope you had fun with them? They seemed like a good egg."  
  
"yeah. really _egg-_ celent conversationalist." Tori snorted a laugh at that, as Papyrus groaned again. He knew she set that one up on purpose, might as well take it.  
  
"oh, speaking of eggs... dinner's gonna be ready soon-ish."  
  
"Dinner?" Alphys inquired.  
  
"yeah, ms. nina came back from grocery shopping while _____ and i were talking. she's preparing one heck of a feast for us by the looks of her bags."  
  
' _Aunty Nina's food is really great! She's an actual Pro!'_ Frisk excitedly signed.  
  
"My Mom's go a Degree in... Culinary Arts, I think it was? Her first one was in Hospitality, but she went back to school like, when I was two or something to get the cooking one." Julia piped in. Papyrus gasped softly at the mention of cooking.  
  
"OH! SO YOUR MOTHER IS A CULINARY MASTER, TINY HUMAN JULIA? I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SEE HER IN ACTION! WHAT DO YOU THINK UNDYNE?  
  
"Yeah, sounds like fun! I wanna see if she's anything like how it was when Frisk and I cooked!"  
  
"W-Without the burning d-down of the place, p-please." Alphys quietly interjected. Undyne nervously chuckled at that.  
  
"Heehee, you're really lucky then, Ma love sharing recipes and teaching people cooking tricks. She's been doing it nearly all her life, so she knows a thing or two." Julia beamed with a small sense of pride coming off her.  
  
_'Oooo... Now I'm curious if Aunty Nina can cook pies better than Mom. Aunty Nina has a few recipes, right?'_  
  
"Ms. Tori bakes? Oooh, she might actually have my Mom beat then, the only thing Ma bakes well are cakes and cookies. Something always goes wrong with her pies, and I haven't seen her bake breads. Actually, Damion won a prize at a Fair for a pie he baked a few years back..." Julia's brows furrowed in thought, but she shook it off to return to the topic at hand. "Anyways, Ma would probably love it if you wanna see her cook!"  
  
"THEN LET US PROCEED TO THE KITCHEN!" The tall skeleton jumped up, grabbing one child in each arm, and nearly flew out the door in his excitement, Julia screaming with laughter all the while. Undyne was after him in seconds. Sans moved out of the way, happily watching his bro charge towards the kitchen with their friends. Alphys chuckled at the sight, shuffling after them.  
  
"I'll go m-make sure they don't d-do anything too rash."  
  
Sans chuckled as well, then turned back to Toriel. She looked so content, like a great burden had been lifted from her.  
  
"I'm really glad things have turned out so well."  
  
"yeah." Sans really did agree. Things really are going well. Extraordinarily so. He hadn't felt this good, this _at ease_ , in a long time.  
  
"I'm glad you've finally relaxed as well, my friend."  
  
"huh?"  
  
"You are very good at hiding your feelings, Sans. And I will not fault you for your cautious nature. But I am far more experienced in finding said feeling, at least when I am actively searching for them, that you probably realize." Toriel explained as Sans shifted on his feet, uneasy and a little shameful. "If you are troubled, please let someone know, before it becomes too much. I know you never wish to worry your brother, but remember that you are cared for as well. There are those of us who will listen. And sometimes, it might be easier telling a stranger than a close friend."  
  
Sans relaxed at her words, but rose a brow at the last part, not quite sure what she meant. He filed it to the back of his mind for now. Right now, they need to go make sure the two most rambunctious of their group hadn't destroyed their host's kitchen. Though, as they closed the door, Toriel shuddered suddenly.  
  
"Hm? That was odd. There was this sudden chill..."  
  
"you sure it wasn't you? you are one _cool_ lady, after all."  
  
"Pffft- Sans! I'm being serious!"  
  
"and who says i'm not?"  
  
"Get your boney butt in gear, Mister. We have better puns to make."  
  
\---------  
  
Dinner was a riot that night.  
  
After Papyrus and Undyne watched Aunty Nina work her magic, everyone gathered in the Dining area, now with all the smaller tables remover and the long tables repurposed.  
  
You don't know the last time you laughed so much.  
  
And of all people, it was _Julia's_ fault.  
  
She just made an innocent pun about something she was eating. And it all went down hill from there.  
  
A fullblown Pun War had erupted, with the sides being Sans, Toriel, Frisk, and the other monsters popping in every now and again (with the exception of Papyrus) vs. You, Your Mom, Nina and the others popping in every now and then (except your Dad.)  
  
It did result in Papyrus and your Dad leaving the table with their food to go sit in the lobby rather than the dining area. The two did bond however, when your Dad showed Papyrus a Sudoku book, so no one was worried.  
  
By the end of the meal, you were sure everyone had laughed away any calories gained by the hearty food. You all sat and chatted a while longer, until Frisk and Julia looked ready to fall asleep at the table. Toriel picked up Frisk while you grabbed Julia. Automatically, you began to quietly sing a French lullaby you learned way back in highschool as you rocked Julia in your arms. Habit had ingrained the action into you, it was just something you did no matter what now. It put Julia to sleep almost instantly, while Frisk still struggled against sleep.  
  
You said good night to everyone, planning on turning in after leaving Julia in her room, and headed out the front.  
  
\---------  
  
~~_"Dirty Brother killer."_ ~~  
  
=̢̣̦̑ͥ͆̓̀̓)͓ͨͣ  
  
".. _.-!!!_ "  
  
Sans' eyes shot open as unneeded air choked in his throat, the shadows of his dream flashing in the back of his lids. He lay there panting quietly, the unfamiliar ceiling calming him more than it probably ever should. Of course he wasn't exempt from those yet. Of course not.  
  
He took one final breath and sat up, a weariness that no amount of sleep could fix on his face.  
  
Sans had long since learned how to wake up without screaming.  
  
It meant he wouldn't wake up Papyrus, who didn't need any less sleep than he got. Papyrus didn't need to be woken up like that. Not with how Sans remembers his reactions to it back when they first started. He hated when his Brother was worried or distressed, especially when it was Sans' fault.  
  
"... Brother...?"  
  
Then again, Papyrus always seemed to have a sixth sence when it came to Sans' nightmares.  
  
"'m ok paps. you can go back to sleep."  
  
At least, he will be.  
  
".... Ok, if you say so. And Sans?"  
  
"yeah bro?"  
  
"I love you Sans."  
  
"... love you too, bro."  
  
Sans watched his baby brother shift and snuggle back into the covers. He really was the coolest. Sans glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Almost 3 AM. A glance out the window on his other side showed it was clear out, he could just see the sky.  
  
Maybe some air would do him some good.  
  
And maybe he could get a better look at the stars.  
  
~~~~  
  
~~_Please...._~~  
  
~~_Please....!_~~  
  
~~_Help_ _me...!_~~  
  
"......."  
  
You blink awake. Something had woke you up. A familiar something.  
  
~~_I don't want to die...!_~~  
  
Of course you're not exempt from this, even now. Of course not. You roll over, taking hold of the old rosary hiding under your shirt and automatically began reciting Bible verses you had long since memorized.  
  
There were spirits every now and again that either didn't know they were dead, or denied that they were dead. Usually because they died very traumatically. And for some god forsaken reason, they came to you thinking you could do something about it. Rarely now were they malicious, but they still came to you.  
  
At 3 in the god damn morning. _Always._  
  
But the only thing you _could_ do for them was push them away from you with protective charms and Bible verses. Sometimes it was enough to get them to pass on, but usually it only made them leave you alone for a while until they got restless again. It had been like this since you were a kid.  
  
You no longer woke up fearing the quiet pleading voices of the dead.  
  
You finished the verse you were on and the presence of the spirit vanished. You sighed and rolled over again to stare up at your ceiling. You haven't had a full week of undisturbed sleep since you were 8. Well, the longest you had gone with out a spirit waking you up was two and a half weeks, but you had gotten too paranoid to sleep after 10 days so it hadn't really mattered. The shortest? One spirit every night for _two straight months_. But you started with the bible verses after that, so something good came of that. You think.  
  
You sit up and sigh, a weariness not from lack of sleep filling you.  
  
Maybe some air would be good. It was a nice night, and it was supposed to be clear.  
  
You got up and found a thin blanket. Mosquitos weren't a problem just yet, but you weren't taking any chances. Your bare feet quietly pad across the wooden floor, a path in the dark long since familiar.  
  
You step outside, silently closing the door behind you. The cabin had a porch, but only the porch at the Inn had a swing, and it had a really nice view of the sky. So, to the Inn it was.  
  
You got a surprise once you got there though.  
  
"Hey, Stargazer." Sans jumped at your soft voice, obviously not expecting you to appear. "Give me your space and time for a little while?"  
  
Sans blinked at you from the porch swing. You gave him a smile and a small wave from the bottom of the steps. He looked _tired._ But in a way that looked all too familiar. Even so, he sent you a smile and a wave back. You stepped up onto the porch and sat down next to him, wrapping the blanket around you. You gaze up at the sky, but you can feel his eyes on you.  
  
"They're beautiful, aren't they?" You murmur. Sans eyes turn back to the stars.  
  
"yeah." His voice is just as quiet as yours, but there's an amount of _reverence_ in it. "they really are."  
  
"Everything you'd thought they'd be?"  
  
"so, _so_ much more."  
  
"I'm glad." You turn your gaze to him, watching him. The lights in his sockets seem to twinkle, mimicking the lights above.

He's something strange, different, but it's a good thing. It makes you want to learn even more about him. You want to pick his (non-existent) brain, find out how he works, figure out all his little mannerisms. You know he feels your eyes on him when he turns to you and raises a brow. You decide to take a chance.  
  
"This is probably going to sound really weird and you have every right to say no, but... Can I look at your hand?"  
  
"my hand?" Sans furrowed his brow at you.  
  
"Yeah, um... Well, by all laws of biology that any humans are familiar with, you, as a skeleton, should not be... well..." You made a vague gesture at him. "... Whole? How are you held together?"  
  
"and you thought by looking at my hand, it would give you the answer?"  
  
"Well, a hint maybe. But... Arg, no, forget it, it's weird and invasive-" You were about to just get up and walk off, thoroughly embarrassed, but Sans stopped you.  
  
"no! hey, c'mon. don't go." He snatches a bit of your blanket, keeping you from leaving. "it's natural you're curious about it. i don't mind, so long as you let me look at yours in return. i wanna know more about you humans too."  
  
You reposition yourselves so that you're facing eachother in a more comfortable way. Sans holds out his hand to you. You give him one more chance to back out, but he just gives you a patient smile. So, you carefully take his hand in yours.  
  
The same warmth seeps through your fingers, but it's soft, easier to focus despite it being there. You slowly run your thumbs along the smooth bone, naming the individual ones you know. It doesn't seem to feel like normal bone. It's... softer? And they're definitely thicker, joints pressed tightly together, but there are still gaps were there should be. There's even a very faint amount of give to them, like a pseudo-skin. Well, his head is certainly more cartoony between him and his brother, the bone around his mouth is to be able to move and flex like lips, so it's not much of a stretch to say his bones aren't like typical bones. They're actually a little colder than your hands, but it's almost unnoticeable if you weren't actually looking for it.  
  
Even with all of your observations, you still don't see anything like a ligament or tendon. You still don't know what's keeping him together. Sans seems to read your confusion and smirks a bit.  
  
"no luck?" He cheekily asks. You quietly huff, but shake your head. "here, let me throw you a bone."  
  
He takes his hand back, then fixes you with a look you can't place.  
  
"what do you know about magic?"  
  
You blinked.  
  
"Magic...?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"It's... definitely not something humans can do. Anymore at least, if the barrier is to be considered. A lot don't even believe it's real. Just smoke and mirrors. Sleight of hand and all that."  
  
"and what about you? do you believe in magic?"  
  
"I..." You paused at his question.  
  
Do you believe in magic?  
  
You see dead people. Damion can read and even influence other people's emotions. You have 12 more cousins as well as 8 aunts and uncles who all have mystical and wonderous powers. You can name all of them off the top of your head; Telekinesis, Apportion, Retrocognition, Astral Projection, the list goes on. Several of you have had scans of your brain's activity, showing pockets of activity not normally seen in the average person. But, no one really knows the true limit of the human mind. Psychic powers were mysterious, but a thing that was _real,_ and documented in some ways.  
  
But do you believe in _Magic?_ Something considered unexplainable, miraculous, so much so that it was nothing more than a fantasy to most? A symbol of dreams and mystery and the unattainable? And yet, you see another thing that is also said not to exist...  
  
"Yes. I do." You don't need his aura to tell you you've surprised him. But it's quickly gone and the look is back. There's a staring contest between you two, you trying to figure out what he's doing by bringing up-  
  
It clicks together suddenly, and you breathe a near silent gasp.  
  
Your eyes widen as you gaze at him, his smile stretching further.  
  
He motions to have you lean closer, then holds up one phalange between the two of you. For a second, nothing happens. But then you see it. The faint, glowing stream of light creeping up his hand, up his finger, dancing in the air above it. The light gathers, slowly taking a vague shape, before condensing. And before your very eyes, a small, cartoonish bone appears from it, floating just above Sans' finger.  
  
You hesitantly reach out to it.  
  
"Can I...?"  
  
"go ahead."  
  
You carefully pluck the bone from the air and let it roll around in your palm. It's not even half as long as your pointer finger and it sends a tingling, almost pins-and-needles like feeling wherever it touches. Odd, but not painful. You press on it and attempt to bend it, but it's far more solid and ridged than any bone that size might be. Looking closely, you see the faint outline of a blue glow around it.  
  
You know your eyes are probably the size of dinner plates. You know Sans is watching you, giddy as a child by his aura's buzzing edges. All you can do though, is let out a breathless ' _Oh my God'_ and continue to turn the bone around in your hands. You hear Sans chuckle and you finally look back up at him.  
  
There are what feels like a million questions zipping through your head. You already assume he can do more than just this. But, to what extent? Does Papyrus know similar magic, or something else? And the others? What all influences magic? Are there different kinds? You want to ask him everything, but you don't know where to start. Don't know if he's even allowed to tell you anything.  
  
"now you know what's holding me, and everyone else, together."  
  
"You're all made of... Magic."  
  
"yup."  
  
"All of the Monsters."  
  
"yup."  
  
_"Magic."_  
  
"ain't no hocus pocus here, pal."  
  
"... I think I'm gonna cry, this is so incredible."  
  
Well, part of it was the absolute mind blowing astonishment. Another was some kind of feeling of... Validation? There was the question of what your powers were in comparison to magic, but knowing that, if only among Monster, it wouldn't be so unbelievable. It made you feel... well, _normal_. Normalcy wasn't a word in your family's dictionary. It wasn't a _bad_ thing, but there was still this... partial closed off-ness? Self Isolation? You had to be _careful._ You couldn't let just anyone in and tell them what you see. With Monster, it might... You might be able to... tell someone and have them not just believe you, but not care? Not make a big deal of it? And that just...  
  
You're starting to tremble at the overwhelming emotions and your eyes are going misty. Sans is quick to try and calm you, if hesitant to step over any boundaries unknown to him about you. His hands hover near your shoulders and head, unsure if he can touch you now. You look at him through your bleary, tear filled eyes. He's obviously paniced in an almost comical way, wanting to comfort you without making anything worse. You can't help the watery laugh that bubbles up out of you. He relaxes a bit at the sight, but still seems nervous, and a bit sheepish.  
  
"heh. frisk said people would probably have a strong reaction to seeing magic for the first time, so we should keep it to a minimum for a while. wasn't... really expecting tears."  
  
"Hah, yeah, sorry. I've been known to have some pretty _tear_ -able reactions when I get emotional."  
  
You both laughed, tension dissipating. You wipe your eyes and sniffle a bit, regaining your bearings. Sans waits for you, ever patient.  
  
"You still want to look at my hand?" You hold yours out to him.  
  
"if that's still ok." Like you had, he gives you time to opt out. And like him, you give him a smile, and he takes your hand.  
  
He does motions similar to yours, running his thumbs over your palm, eyelights taking a sharp, critical shine, not unlike what you'd think a scientist would. He pokes and pinches at your skin, careful not to hurt you, but enough to get your muscles to react. He slowly uncurls your fingers, watching your skin stretch. He takes note of your nails, tapping them with the tip of his phalange. Then he presses down on your fingers. Presses them flat into your palm, until one of them lets out a loud pop.  
  
He freezes at the sound, his eyelights vanishing and leaving wide, empty sockets. Honestly, it's quite terrifying looking.  
  
"...what was that?" His voice is low and strained.  
  
"You uh... cracked? My knuckle...?" You nervously explained.  
  
"i did _what?"_ He's back to panicing, looking back down at your hand in horror. It takes you a second to realize what you said. Cracked. He's made of bone with nothing in between. No air or fluid or whatever actually causes the cracking sound. He thinks he's actually cracked the bone itself. He thinks he's hurt you.  
  
"Oh no no no no no, Sans. Sans, I'm _fine._ You didn't hurt me. It's just something humans can do." You go on explaining what you know about it. You're not a biology major in any way, that was business, but you do your best to ease his fear. Even demonstrate by cracking a few on your other hand. He calms down quicker knowing he hadn't hurt you and instead listens studiously to you, and wincing at the popping. After, he sighs and gives a nervous chuckle.  
  
"shit... don't scare me like that. don't wanna hurt my new pal. are there any other weird, dis _joint_ ed human things i should know about?" You snorted at that.  
  
"Well, I don't know what you do know, so we may have to cross that bridge when we come to that."  
  
"guess so."  
  
The night sky continued to twinkle above, silently watching over you.  
  
Sans was still holding your hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, would you guys appreciate a Tumblr for this and my other stories? Let me know.


	5. I Am Happy That You Can Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that there are those who are much more observant than others think.
> 
> Sans' brain-to-mouth filter also has a slight malfunction.

Consciousness comes to you slowly. You realize just as slowly that it was because someone was tucking in the blanket around you. You shift a bit, nuzzling the soft texture you're leaning on, face scrunching as you try to fall back asleep. You vaguely hear the footsteps of whoever had found you step back, and it's seconds after that you pry your eyes open to see who disturbed you.

The sky has taken on only a bit of color, meaning it's only been maybe two or three hours since you fell asleep. You blink a few more times, trying to clear your eyes, your mind still trying to force you back to sleep. A shadow moves slightly just outside your vision and your eyes snap to track it, only finding Papyrus leaning over slightly to look at you.

"Human ____? Are you awake?" Wow, Papyrus can be really quiet when he wants to. You blinked in response to him, but said nothing.

Memories of the night before (earlier? What time was it?) came back in molasses-like trickles. After your little educational conversation with Sans, you two went on to talk about the stars, with you pointing out the ones you knew. And now your here, being awoken to find yourself leaning on eachother. The two of you must have fallen asleep at some point? It was the only explanation for your current predicament.

"Forgive me for waking you, but while you are awake, don't you think it might be a better idea to come inside to sleep at least?"

 _Inside?_ You blink again, trying to comprehend what Papyrus has asked of you. You process that Papyrus wants you to move, so you go to sit up. In the process, Sans slips down onto your shoulder, waking him as well. Sans blinked and squinted, not awake in the slightest either. Papyrus let out a soft "Oh dear" in slight exasperation

"Sans? Brother, I'll let you sleep more, just this once, but I need you to come inside." Sans blinked at his brother, registering that he's there, but not his words. Papyrus sighs. It's clear that neither of you have had much sleep, so he tries instead to be a little more forceful, if only so his words register.

"Come _inside_. You can sleep more there, but you have to _move_." Papyrus takes Sans' hand and gives it a tug. Sans grumbles quietly, but indeed stands as his brother wants him to. And with Sans' sudden departure, you are left to nearly tumble over onto where he used to be. You were able to awkwardly catch yourself from cracking your head against the wooden swing, but you were confused as to what happened. Yours and Sans' hands were still linked together, leaving yours to awkwardly bend off the swing. You blinked a few times before deciding that moving inside was an idea. You slowly stand as well, blearily staring up at Papyrus for further instructions, swaying slightly on your feet.

Papyrus sighs and gathers the blanket that had slipped off you when you stood, before taking Sans' hand again and leading him back inside. In turn, Sans pulled you along behind him. Once inside, Papyrus lead the two of you over to the couches in the lobby. Sans registers the couch as a viable place to sleep, releasing Papyrus' hand and flopping down onto the couch, resulting in you being dragged down with him. You tumble down, landing between Sans and the back of the couch. Sans shifts, rolling so that he can loop an arm around you and crush you to him. He mumbles something, burying his face in your hair, before he's out cold once more. You only blink in response, face pressed under Sans's chin, before you too loop an arm around Sans and snuggle farther down into the couch, falling asleep just as quickly.

Papyrus sighs, slightly baffled by the sight, but at the same time not really worried. He's glad someone was there for his brother. Still, there is an oddness to it, how quickly Sans has taken to you.

For now, Papyrus decides to wait and see. Sans has been more relaxed, happier even, than he's been in a long time, and Papyrus doesn't want that to stop. He instead unfolds the blanket and lays it over the two of you. He'll talk to his brother later about it.

\-----

_Beware._

A grey, grey room.

_Keep your Faith._

A white, white figure.

_Don't lose Hope._

A black, black shadow.

_Beware..._

Red,  **r̬͆͒͐̋̾̚̚͘ẻ͌̂͂͟d͕͙͐̂ͬ͐** eyes

_He is Determined._

\-----

Light burns itself through your lids and you are confused by the rude awakening. Your room's window faces west, and it's not anywhere near your bed to shine like this on you. So _what the fuck sun?_

You try and bury your face down into the pillow you're cuddling, hiding from the light. Did someone change the inside of your body pillow? It seems more solid. And when was it so soft? Waaaait a minute, body pillows can't hug back who the fu _CK-?!_

You jerk awake, sunlight blinding you from the windows of the Inn lobby. The sun needs to not do these things please you kinda really needed your sight. You push yourself up to lean on one arm, using the other to scrub at your eyes.

Wait, the _lobby_? When did you...?

You finally look down to see what -or who, in this case- you had been cuddling.

You blink.

_Sans...?_

Your memory started to catch up with you at this point. The spirit, the swing, stargazing, and then there's a blank (falling asleep?) You think a little harder and you find vague images of Papyrus and him saying something.

And now you are here.

And in all honesty, you can't say you this is a bad way to wake up. A little embarrassing, but you could think of worse.

Aaaand you can't exactly leave with how tightly Sans was holding you.

Welp. Might as well wait for the inevitable moment of when he wakes up. Or someone finds you. Which ever happens first. You carefully lay yourself back down, shifting around to lay on your back. You then used your arm to pull Sans to have him lay on your chest/shoulder area, rather than nearly falling off the couch. He took to this new position quickly, even in his sleep, shifting to nuzzle into you as you held him from falling. Your other arm comes to lay over your eyes and you sigh.

....

You really wish you had your phone.

\-----

Nina peeks out from the dining area to catch a glance at the couches. She takes note of the shift in position, meaning ____ was awake, but refused to get up for a reason or another. She doesn't go over, however, instead returning to the kitchen.

In spite of the short time knowing him, Nina has developed a fondness for Papyrus. She can see each of her children in the loud Skeleton. An unwavering sense of duty, a boisterously friendly mannerism, and a dauntless positivity towards life. It's only natural her maternal instincts turn towards the tall monster.

She had been surprised when she came to the Inn that morning, right at the crack of dawn as always. First, was finding the other Skeleton, Sans, asleep on the porch swing with _____. Nina had snuck by the pair and into the lobby, took three steps in, and was nearly bowled over by Papyrus quickly coming down the hall from the rooms in a panic, unable to find his brother. She was quick to calm the tall skele, showing him where his brother had gone off to. After, she had invited him to come cook breakfast for everyone with her when he was ready. Delighted, he agreed.

She finds him right where she left him, taking batter and using the waffle iron just as she showed him. She knows he can cook properly, if given the right instructions. Undyne could too, if the two toned it down a bit and didn't mistake "passion" for "skill." But, that was a thought for another time.

"How's it coming, Papyrus?"

"WONDERFUL, MS. CHEF NINA! THESE WAFFLES WILL BE THE EPITOME OF PERFECTION, ONLY ACHIEVABLE BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

"That's great, dear." Nina beamed at him. "I'll be gettin' back to chopping up these veggies for the omelettes. Once you're done there, I'll find you something else to help me with."

"EXCELLENT!" The two of them continued their tasks in amiable silence, only the sound of their utensils filling the air. It's nice, a break from her familiar morning routine.

"Is that a common occurrence for ____? Finding them sleeping on that swing."

Nina almost startles at Papyrus' sudden question. She looked over at him, but he was still masterfully making waffles, not looking up from his task. Nina sighed and continued chopping the veriety of vegetables.

"More than any of us like to admit. So long as the weather permits, if they have a bad night, that's where they end up." Push the chopped bits aside, grab another veggie. "Is it the same for Sans?"

"... More that either of us like to admit." Flip out the finished waffle, pour in more batter.

"Mm. Ain't nothing wrong with that. I'm sure you're trying everything you can."

".... It's hard, sometimes. Especially since he doesn't always let me help."

"Don't wanna worry anyone?"

"Yes."

Nina shakes her head. _____ never tells just how bad the spirits get, but they all could tell most of the time. Even so, it's been well over a decade since ____ asked for any kind of help dealing with the ghosts.

Birds of a feather and all that.

"-ef Nina? Ms. Nina, _your hand!_ "

Nina snaps out of her musings at Papyrus' urgent and worried tone. She stops everything and blinks, gazing down at her hands. It seems she's cut a clean line right across the side of her hand, under her thumb. Luckily, she hadn't bled on any of the vegetables, but she hadn't even noticed. She's so used to hurting her hands in some form or another that the pain barely registers anymore. Papyrus is quick to shut off the waffle iron and move to fret about beside her.

"Now, now, no need to get your knickers in a bunch. This happens all the time for me." She waves the skeleton off and moves to the sink. "A little water and a bandage and all will be well again." Nina washes her hand under the tap, the sting hardly noticeable. Once clean, she pats the wound down carefully. Not deep, so no need for a trip to the hospital. Papyrus still shifts on his feet nervously, seeming unsure of something.

"May I see...?" Nina gazes up at him in question, but holds out her injured hand anyways. Papyrus takes her hand carefully in his. He holds her old ones in one of his large ones (at her request, he hadn't put on his gloves), while the other hovers just above the cut. Nina watches curiously, wondering what he's going to do.

It is the warmth that she notices first. A soft, soothing heat, like a heating pad on her back when it's sore. Then she notices the green. It's almost imperceivable in the morning light, but there, coming gently off the skeleton's boney hand, is a soft, pale green light. There's a tingling around her wound for a second, then it's gone, along with the light. Papyrus removes his hand and inspects hers, before releasing it. Nina is quick to pull her hand back to see what just happened.

The cut is gone.

Nina stands in shock. Not even a scar remains.

"Please keep this between us, Ms. Nina. I'm... not supposed to use magic as freely up here for a while. To keep Humans from becoming fearful of us." Papyrus nervously explained, fidgeting with his fingers. Nina can only nod as she pulls her hand to her chest, wide eyed and a little pale. She takes a breath to calm herself.

"Why don't you go see about waking that brother of yours? ____ probably woke up a while ago, but your brother's got'em trapped on the couch. We can continue after." Nina needs a moment alone to collect herself, and Papyrus can see this. So, he nods and leaves her to herself in the kitchen.

Nina continues to stand in the middle of the kitchen, a thumb running circles over where the wound had been.

(It hadn't been the magic itself that shook her. Not entirely.

 

 

It was the familiarity of its feeling.)

\--------

You're dozing after a while of laying there, so you don't notice the footsteps coming. Nor the near silent gasp. You do start to come around when you notice muffled giggling. And then you hear the sound of a phone's camera shutter and finally move your hand from your eyes to see who's trying for blackmail.

"Morning nerd."

Ah, Undyne.

She smirks cheekily down at you from the back of the couch, fiery hair spilling over her shoulders in crimson rivulets. Wow, she actually looks really nice with her hair down. Better than you right now, at least, with the bedhead you no doubt have. It looks really soft. It makes you wanna run your fingers through it.

You send her a little wave, not at all bothered by her phone blatantly out and in position for more pictures. In turn, she raises a brow, gesturing to Sans. You give her a flat look back, as if to dare her to say if anything was wrong with your position. Undyne blinked in surprise, before giving you this almost evil looking grin. She readied her phone once more, grinning even wider.

"Say cheese, nerds."

You stared blankly into the camera, middle finger flashing. Undyne just laughed.

"OH! UNDYNE! GOOD MORNING! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Papyrus to save the day! Maybe.

"Morning, Pap." She beams at him as he walks over. "Know what's up with these two?"

"OH GOOD, ARE THEY AWAKE?" Papyrus comes into your vision and you repeat your greeting. "GOOD MORNING HUMAN _____! I SEE MY BROTHER INDEED DOES HAVE YOU TRAPPED LIKE MS. CHEF NINA SAID. NEVER FEAR THOUGH! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS MANY METHODS OF AWAKENING HIS LAZYBONES OF A BROTHER! OBSERVE."

Papyrus steps back and gives a quiet 'Ahem,' before taking a deep breath and....

"SANS WAKE UP, THE HUMAN IS ON THE ROOF AND IS LIKELY TO FALL AND HURT THEMSELF!!!"

"who-what-wher-whOA _SHIT-!_ "

Sans, in his half-awake response to Papyrus' 'emergency', bolted up, only for that to result in a catastrophic chain of events. Since he sat up, your arm was no longer holding him and he was no longer holding you. And since there was nothing holding him on the narrow couch, he unceremoniously slid off the edge, flailing, getting his legs tangled in the blanket, and landed on the floor shoulder first with a heavy ' _Oof_!', his feet being the only thing left on the couch.

There was a moment of stunned silence, before Undyne unashamedly broke into raucous laughter. You hear Papyrus mutter an ' _oops_ ,' and the two of you lean over to look at Sans, who was still dazedly staring up at the ceiling.

"Well, that's _one_ way to wake up..." You blink, still in disbelief. "You alright there Stargazer?"

"yeah, just wasn't expecting to be _seeing stars_ this late in the day." Sans smirks a little and you can't help the snort of giggles. Papyrus just puts his face in his hands and lets out a long suffering sigh. Undyne laughs harder.

"OF COURSE. OF COURSE THE FIRST THING THAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU WAKE UP IS A PUN." He shakes his head in exasperation. "WELL, I'VE DONE WHAT I'VE COME TO DO, I'M GOING BACK TO THE KITCHEN WITH MS. CHEF NINA. UNDYNE YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME HELP WITH BREAKFAST."

"O-Oh stars, that was HILARIOUS!!" Undyne wheezed out between fits of laughter, following behind her tall skeletal friend. "I wish I recorded that to show everyone!!"

And with their departure, the two of you were left alone once more, only the vague noise from the kitchen as company. You lean over the edge of the couch to observe Sans again. He's scrubbing at his sockets to try and rid himself of the lingering sleep in them. You take initiative and detangle his legs from the blanket, and he simply lets them slide off and onto the floor with the rest of him.

You lay on your stomach and cross your arms under your chin, gazing down at him. He stares back up at you and gives you a lazy, lopsided grin. You smile back in return.

"Morning."

"morning." He heaves himself up to sit, but makes no moves beyond that. Instead, he rests his elbow on the cusion and his head in his hand. "so, do you know what happened? like, in general? how'd we uh... end up here?" His cheekbones were tinting blue as he tried to not make any implications.

"So, from what I gathered, we fell asleep on the porch swing outside. I'm pretty sure Aunty Nina was actually the one to find us first, but I think she left bringing us at least inside the Inn to Papyrus?" Sans nodded, probably recalling the same fuzzy memories you had. "And from there I can just assume the two of us in our zombie state decided that the couch was fine and we fell asleep here. There was a lot of cuddling involved, if you haven't figured that much out, but yeah, that's probably what happened. You are very comfortable to cuddle with, by the way, I was not expecting that."

Sans burried his face in the cusion, blue staining his cheeks and starting to spread to the rest of his head. _Cute_.

"how are you so _calm_?" You heard, muffled from the cusion.

"'Cause everyone already knows I'm a HUGE cuddle bug and can't help it, so I just roll with it. I'm sorry if you're not comfortable with that, though. Undyne took pictures of us too, so, you might wanna go catch her before everyone else gets up if that bothers you."

"nah." Sans rolls his head so that he's looking at you now. His face is still tinted a light blue, but he seems calmer. "best revenge against blackmail is to make it null, yeah?"

"Yeah, guess so." You giggle a bit, and you fall into a comfortable silence. Well, for a short moment at least.

"so," Sans begins, a grin stretching itself across his face. "' _stargazer_ ,' huh? that my name now?"

"Uh..." Lovely answer. Your face is totally not blushing. "Is that... Ok? It just kinda, popped out last night, but it uh... I thought it fit? After... Um..."

"so long as you're the only _star_ I _gaze_ upon, polaris." A wink.

 _Holy shit what_ -

Your face is not blushing. You're _not_. You're burying your face in the nearby throw pillow because you're still tired.

Sans seems just as frazzled by his words as you are, if the blue retuning full force to his face says anything. There's an awkward pause, as neither of you could figure out what to say now.

"' _Polaris_ ,' huh...?" You murmur into the pillow. "Hope I can live up to a name like that..."

"h-heh... i think you're doing pretty good so far."

You can't help how giddy that makes you feel.

Polaris. The Guiding Star. No one's ever given you that sort of nickname. You kinda like it.

"I'll put my faith in that then." You say, turning your head out of the pillow to give him a goofy smile. He grins back, still blushing but more relaxed now.

Any more attempts at conversation were halted however, as the chime of the elevator notified you that someone had come down. You pushed yourself up to look over the back of the couch in time to see Asgore step out of the elevator.

"Mornin' your Majesty." Asgore looks up in surprise for a second before smiling.

"Ah, ______, good morning. And I told you, it is perfectly fine to call me Asgore."

"Heh, I'll get there. Just gotta overcome the respectfulness ingrained into my mannerisms." You chuckle. He chuckles as we as he walks over to the couch, finally noticing Sans.

"Sans? What in the world are you doing on the floor?" He asks, incredulous and bemused.

"long story. undyne'll tell ya most of it. she's in the kitchen with pap and ms. nina making breakfast."

"Well, alright. Shall we go join them? I was hoping I could request a bit of tea while we wait." You roll over and sit up, shoving the blankets off your legs and stretching.

"If Aunty's too busy, I can grab us something. You want anything Sans?"

"coffee'd be nice, but i'm not picky." You nod and stand. You hold your hand out for Sans to take and hoist him up. You turn and head to the kitchen, a little bounce in your step.

It's the first time in a long time you feel good after a bad night. You're not questioning small blessings.

\-----

Asgore watches in astonishment as you simply lead Sans by the hand to the dining hall. As if it doesn't even register for you to let go. And Sans doesn't at all seem to care or notice either.

He feels his Soul stir in his chest, Hope fluttering.

In the time he's known Sans, which was a long time, since Sans was still only a teen, just starting his apprenticeship at the CORE facility, he'd seen Sans change drastically. The exact memories are hazy, but the stark difference in Sans personality then and now is still clear.

He remembers the bright eyed young skeleton in a crisp white lab coat, excited and nervous all at once to begin helping out. Remembers the boy who determinedly stammered through a progress report to him for the first time, and growing more confident the more he did so, until he didn't even need to look at the report to give it. A boy with a brilliant mind and humorous charm and an unmatched drive and passion.

Remebers a young man so devistated by the lose (Death? Retirement? What... happened to...? What was their name...? ~~_Why does it hurt?_~~ ) of the former Royal Scientist that it was like watching a flower instantly wilt. Watched him bury his grief behind a smile in order to take care of his brother. Watched the passion and ambition die.

Asgore remembers offering Sans the title of Royal Scientist. Sans was the best candidate for it. He remembers how the small skeleton wrapped his arms around himself like it was the only thing holding him together. How he looked ready have a total breakdown as he apologized and refused the title, shakily trying to explain that he couldn't stay in the lab anymore. Asgore had stopped him and apologized in return, not intending to upset Sans.

But Asgore also knew that the lab was the only income Sans had. He had asked Sans about it, worried for him and his young brother. Sans explained that they had enough saved up that it should keep them afloat until he could find something else. Asgore had pursed his lips at that, but relented. Instead, Asgore offered Sans aid should he find himself at his wits end. Asgore had another position in the Royal Court that Sans could fill, remembering the skeleton's particular magical talent as well, though he warned that it was a heavy task should he agree. Sans nodded and thanked him. Some time later, he ended up appointing the young Alphys as the new Royal Scientist.

Time passed. Asgore had both hoped he would and wouldn't see Sans again. He wanted to know that the two were ok, but if he does not come back then he did not need Asgore's aid, which meant that they were ok, right? But it seems that fate would push Sans back to him anyway.

Asgore is well over a thousand years old. He'd met and known so many people in his time. And was a King on top of that. He'd learned how to read between the lines and find things beneath people's façades, for political reasons. No matter what mask of smiles or words of humor Sans used, Asgore could see.

Sans looked _tired_. Looked worse than when he left. Asgore couldn't help the worry blooming in his Soul.

Asgore had put on a pot of tea for them and made small talk, asking how he and his brother were. The two had moved to Snowdin in that time, neither of them able to stay in New Home for various reasons. Sans had found a job dishwashing at a restaurant and doing odd jobs for the folk in Snowdin for money while homeschooling his brother. But he found their funds being stretched thin. It wasn't enough. So, Sans had come to take the other job Asgore had offered. Asgore sighed, but nodded.

Any position within the Royal Court, whether it be Court Healer, Royal Scientist, Treasurer, or Guard, paid well, particularly those of higher rank. The position that he was offering Sans, however, was a little different.

The position of the Court Judge, while not normally a physically taxing position, could very easily put a strain on one's mental health, having to see and deal with the aftermath of any crime brought before the Court. But Sans had something of an edge over other Judges.

All Monsters could see a Soul's STATs, some better than others, but that was only if the Soul in question was exposed. A few though, could do so without the need of summoning another's Soul. An ability all Judges had. An ability Sans had. It made Monsters particularly sensitive to others emotions and intent, and could work as a lie detector, but, it could just as easily get overwhelming and strenuous.

But, that wasn't the ability that held Sans above other previous Judges.

Karmatic Retribution was a strange magic. It was a Passive Ability of the Yellow veriety. While Yellow magic was more often a Passive trait than say Orange or Blue, it always had the more creative Passives to make up for the lack of true Offensive power. One did not always need strength to enact Justice, after all. But KR was a particularly aggressive Passive. (He snorted to himself the first time he thought that; aggressive Passive, passive aggressive. Tori would have been proud.)

KR cancelled a Soul's Invincibility Frames, the temporary defensive measure a Soul takes in battle when suddenly wounded to prevent and escape further damage. Instead, it adds a secondary damage to the opponents HP that drops it over time, like a poison. KR is also active no matter what the user wants. Even if the user has no desire to harm the opponent, KR will still activate.

However, KR only activates under certain conditions. The opponent has to have done some particularly heinous crime(s); Murder was the best example, but things like embezzlement and abuse and such are also applicable. The opponent then must not feel any guilt for said crime(s), and/or deny that they had done such crime(s).

Sans had a measure of procuring the guilt of a Monster without extensive interrogation, though as a proper Judge, he could not enact any rulings without hearing the full story from both sides, even if he found the guilty party. It would be bias and negligent on his part to not do so.

And Sans would not be judging Monsters alone. Sans would need to Judge any human that made it that far.

Asgore explained all the necessary information to Sans. It wouldn't be a frequent thing. Monsters were not particularly unkind to eachother, and solved things on their own more often than not without the need to get the Court involved. Rare was it that a crime was big enough the be brought before Asgore. Even so, it would still pay a large sum when it did arise.

Sans agreed and Asgore directed him to the current Judge of the time.

It was in that time that Asgore saw the full extent of the changes that had imbedded themselves into the once bright skeleton.

Judges needed to be unbiased, so keeping themselves emotionally unattached to a case was a given. But Sans shut out _everyone_. It made him a frightfully wonderful Judge, enough to garner a bit of a reputation, but it only made Asgore worry more. He could still charm people with his humor, but the same humor deflected any attempts anyone had at getting to know him. He even attempted to shut Asgore out, if Asgore hadn't been privy to Sans situation and Asgore's own stubbornness. He didn't show affection of any kind to anyone except his brother. In those few moments, he became aware of how despondent, how _Hopeless_ , Sans had become. And the worst was, Sans didn't seem to _care_. Any care that he had left was turned to making his brother happy. Sans was on a slow, almost methodical path that Asgore only saw very rarely.

Sans was Falling Down.

Most of the time, Falling Down was just as it sounded. It happened all at once, when a Monster had completely lost all Hope and will to live, would simply fall to the ground, and not get up. Some time later they would Dust.

But very, very rarely, Falling Down could be a gradual thing. It would slowly chip away at one's STATs, until there was hardly anything left. The Monster would continuously grow less and less active, as their Magic furiously worked to try and keep them alive against their spiraling mental state, leaving them with less and less energy. Nihilistic tendencies and Depression-like symptoms were also not uncommon. Suicide was rare, but it happened. If not, eventually, the Monster would start to flake Dust. It was a terrifying thing to see, but by that point, the Monster would most likely not care. They become bedridden, weakened by all the stress. And finally, they shut their eyes, never to wake again.

It was possible to save a Monster Falling slowly, but the exact method depends upon the Monster in question. And Asgore was not sure how to help Sans.

Sans seemed to be holding on by a fraying rope, though. Asgore was sure that it was the unparalleled love he has for his brother keeping him going. And sometimes, that seemed barely enough.

Asgore couldn't say he and Sans were close, or even friends, but Asgore still felt some kind of Paternal affection for the skeleton. And in the rare moment Sans visited the castle, Asgore tried to offer whatever small kindnesses he could. An ear to listen or just quiet company over tea.

Asgore shakes himself from his thoughts, following slowly behind Sans and the human ______. Sans sits at the table and Asgore takes a seat across from him, while the human heads into the boisterous kitchen. Asgore gazes out the windows, watching as the sun climbs higher into the sky. ____ is quick to return with a tray of things. They set down a large mug of tea in front of him, along with sugars and a small bottle of milk. Then they place one mug on the table, for themself, before handing Sans his own. Sans sends them a small, but genuine smile, and they return it ten fold, and Asgore feels his Hope warm in his chest.

Sans didn't open up to him. Asgore doesn't know if he has tried with anyone else.

But, Asgore had seen something he didn't know could happen. Sans' care for Frisk. It was a breakthrough that made him begin to Hope.

And then this, whatever _this_ was, that Sans had found in _____, Asgore can only wait and see if it will be enough for Sans.

"So, when will I be privy as to why you were on the floor when I came down earlier, Sans?" The door to the kitchen being kicked open by Undyne is his answer.

"OH HO HO! Just WAIT 'till you get a load of THIS!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still the saltiest of salt shakers over the lack of art of Undyne with her hair down.
> 
> Wait, Asgore what are you doing?
> 
> No! Give me back my chapter!
> 
> ASGORE STOP!!
> 
> Ugh, fine, have half the chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on my writing sideblog [Beta-Synch](https://beta-synch.tumblr.com/)


End file.
